This Tiktoker's genius £12 IKEA chopping board hack has our whole team planning a trip to IKEA this weekend
‘Who knew this board could be this versatile?’


Many IKEA designs have the tendency to become ever-present, embedded into almost every home you walk into, whether they are plain or part of an upcycling project. This is the case with the likes of the BILLY bookcase or the KALLAX shelving. And now, there’s another item joining those ranks - the rather unique STOLTHET chopping board.
Who doesn’t love a good IKEA hack? We sure do. Especially when the hack in question requires minimum effort, while offering maximum benefits. And that’s exactly the case with the TikTok IKEA STOLTHET chopping board hack shared by one of our favourite DIY and home decorating content creators, Medina Grillo of @grillodesigns.
These hacks (yes, plural, asMedina shares multiple in her TikTok video) are made possible by the clever raised design of the bamboo board, which is quite difficult to find on the market. We know, we’ve tried - read to the end to find out our alternatives.
The easy TikTok hack repurposing the IKEA STOLTHET chopping board
@grillodesigns ♬ original sound - Grillodesigns
‘Who knew this board could be this versatile?’ Medina captions her post. And we totally agree. This video is already the second in this sort of series that the TikToker has produced.
‘Last year, I shared three ways to use the IKEA STOLTHET chopping board, and you guys loved it! So here are three more ways you can use it around the house,’ she says in the video.
But we picked three of our favourites from across the two TikToks to share with you for some extremely simple DIY ideas.
1. Sofa table
If you’re on the lookout for some living room ideas how to solve the constant struggle of trying not to spill your tea or coffee while sitting on the sofa, Medina has found a solution.
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‘You can use this as a sofa table for your tea or coffee if your sofa has high arms like mine,’ she’s heard saying as we see her sitting atop a mustard yellow velvet couch. The presence of the legs on the sides of the board means that the sofa arm will slot right in and you’ve got yourself a stable surface for your comfort drink.
2. Cookbook stand
Are you an avid cook, always flipping through the pages of a cookbook and following complicated recipes? Then a cookbook stand might be the perfect kitchen idea.
‘If you add non-slip tape to the edge of the chopping board, you can turn it into a cookbook stand by leaning it against your wall,’ Medina explains.
The only problem is that it won't fit every size of cookbook, which could be annoying. But for the ones it does fit? *chef's kiss*
3. Book shelf
If you’re after some clever book storage ideas or perhaps a book display, then just flip the STOLTHET cutting board over and line up your favourite books. The raised sides will stop the reading material from falling much like bookends.
And if you don’t have an IKEA near you or don’t want to order nothing more than a chopping board from the site, then we have found a couple of similar alternatives. Even though something that’s identical is pretty much impossible to find.
The first of our finds is this raised serving platter from Amazon. Made from dark acacia wood, rather than the light bamboo of the STOLTHEN, the £10.99 platter is also narrower than the IKEA design and comes with top handles, as well as the legs.
The other discovery is this Etsy wooden countertop tray available in multiple sizes so that you can get the perfect size for your cookbooks or sofa, depending on what hack you’ll be testing out. Crafted from recycled wood, the handmade tray’s prices start from £14.99.
Which one will you be trying out?

Sara Hesikova has been a Content Editor at Ideal Home since June 2024, starting at the title as a News Writer in July 2023. She is now also the Ideal Home Certified Expert in Training on Furniture, and so far has tested over 150 different sofas.
Graduating from London College of Fashion with a bachelor’s degree in fashion journalism in 2016, she got her start in niche fashion and lifestyle magazines like Glass and Alvar as a writer and editor before making the leap into interiors, working with the likes of 91 Magazine and copywriting for luxury bed linen brand Yves Delorme among others.
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