5 ways to style IKEA’s HÖGSMA

Jan 08, 2024

The bamboo staple is setting trends beyond the kitchen, and it costs less than $10

If you don't already know about the HÖGSMA, you will do soon. The bamboo chopping board is setting worldwide design trends via Instagram, and it comes courtesy of IKEA for $9.99 (£9). Yes, your latest decor crush costs less than breakfast in a coffee shop.

Whether you invest in an HÖGSMA as an independent chopping board – as the topper for your RÅSKOG trolley – or as a canvas for your next IKEA hack, this social-media-approved furnishing is the practical asset your home needs.

‘But how many ways can you possibly style a chopping board?,’ we hear you ask. Well, according to Instagram, there are many ways. The more you get to know HÖGSMA, the more versatile it becomes. Here, we’ve rounded up our five favorite styling tips – so the only thing that's left to plan is your trip to IKEA.

For the small kitchen idea of the moment, we’re looking towards Amparo Lozano's (@amparo_lasnubes) HÖGSMA. Here, the Seville-based designer has used her board as an extension of her kitchen worktop – as a fitting home for her kitchen appliances, including her toaster (pictured above).

Plus, when paired with the RÅSKOG trolley (as IKEA intended), Amparo's HÖGSMA acts as a multifunctional storage staple without sacrificing style – cafetière included.

Who says the HÖGSMA should stay in the kitchen? Nadine Meier, a designer from ORDERme (@orderme.hh), certainly doesn't. Nadine has taken the chopping board into her home office – for a Scandi-cool WFH inspiration that oozes practicality.

No home office is complete without a video-call-friendly house plant, but if you are searching for desk space, Nadine's HÖGSMA has the solution. The designer had similarly paired her board with the RÅSKOG trolley, in a further nod to HÖGSMA's versatility.

While Nadine set the tone for botanical HÖGSMA's with her office-friendly statement, IKEA themselves have similarly used the piece in ways beyond the chopping board.

Here, they use the HÖGSMA as a home for kitchen greenery – which groups the plants together and separates the worktops from their organic goodness. Because, of course, the only home for these plants is a natural stand that brings a sense of escapism to any home.

We sit on the fringe of dinner party season, meaning the HÖGSMA's (and the RÅSKOG's) time has almost arrived. Here, IKEA show how how to host a seamless dinner party – with room for homecooked dishes, cutlery, and glasses in one space. Plus, with the HÖGSMA's neutral tones, your dinner party ideas are wholly practical – with style always included.

In all its versatility, it is hard to focus on HÖGSMA's roots as a chopping board – but here, designer Saiful Lizan Yusof (@journalsay) reminds you of the board's heritage.

Designed as a chopping board, the HÖGSMA is hard-wearing and kind to knives – because above all else – it's very good at its primary role. This is the modern kitchen idea of the season, after all.

Megan is a News Writer across Future Plc's homes titles, including Livingetc and Homes & Gardens. As a News Writer, she often focuses on micro-trends, wellbeing, celebrity-focused pieces, and everything IKEA.

Before joining Future, Megan worked as a News Explainer at The Telegraph, following her MA in International Journalism at the University of Leeds. During her BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, she gained writing experience in the US while studying in New York. Megan also focused on travel writing during her time living in Paris, where she produced content for a French travel site. She currently lives in London with her antique typewriter and expansive collection of houseplants.

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