If you’ve ever lived in a compact flat, you know the problem: you need a desk and storage, but your room never has space for both.
Hynge has a fix for that.
Their mechanical system turns an ordinary IKEA BESTÅ cabinet into a swivel-out desk.
When you need to work, the desktop rotates out. When you’re done, it disappears back over the cabinet.
Simple idea. Clever execution.
Where the idea came from
The idea started with Hynge founder Ben Halde, who ran into the same problem years ago in his small Munich apartment.
“I quickly realised that there was no furniture fitting available at the time that would allow me to rotate a rectangular desk out from against a wall or corner when I needed to use it.”
So he started prototyping and eventually came up with the unique Hynge movement: pull, turn, push.
You first pull the desktop away from the wall to create clearance, rotate it out, and push it back into position. The mechanism is now patent-protected in multiple countries.
From custom furniture to IKEA hack
Initially, the Hynge mechanism was milled directly into custom-made furniture, requiring a carpenter and specialized equipment.
But Ben also wanted to find a simpler way.
“I was thinking how to make the product more accessible also for DIYers with no milling facilities or equipment.”
The solution was to mount the mechanism directly onto the top of an IKEA BESTÅ cabinet. That turned the idea into something much more accessible: Hynge’s new BESTÅ DIY kit.
To make the move into DIY more accessible, Hynge set up Hynge Projects as a dedicated channel for the IKEA and DIY community — from getting the products out there to supporting customers with their builds.
All you need is the BESTÅ cabinet unit, two boards cut to size, and the Hynge hardware.
The result is surprisingly neat. Closed, it looks like a normal sideboard sitting against the wall. Open, the top swivels out to create a full desk, while the cabinet underneath remains useful storage.
DIYers seem to be into it
Hynge shared a few installation reels in July 2026, and they took off surprisingly quickly.
Within two to three weeks, the videos had reached a couple of hundred thousand organic views, with plenty of likes, shares and reposts.
More importantly, people started asking where they could get the mechanism.
“Multiple DM requests regarding the mechanism showed me that the community needs such a product,” Ben says.
And the BESTÅ DIY kit was born.
What’s next?
The BESTÅ kit may be the newest addition, but the idea behind it is not new. Hynge’s Swivel Top mechanism has been around since 2017, and the concept has since evolved into five different products — from sliding and free-floating versions to an inverted design that turns the movement upside down.
And Hynge isn’t stopping there.
Ben explains, “We are also working on further products, to use the movement in vertical applications.”
Ben is also exploring other IKEA ranges that could benefit from the same kind of space-saving approach.
For Hynge, it all comes back to the same idea: finding clever ways to get more out of the space you already have.
How To Install the Hynge BESTÅ DIY Kit
What You’ll Need:
- An IKEA BESTÅ unit (120cm or 180cm), with or without doors
- Two wood/décor boards, cut to size (dimensions depend on your BESTÅ unit size, doors and board thickness)
- Hynge’s BESTÅ DIY Kit
- A screwdriver and basic tools
- A decision on which way the desk should swing open, left or right
Steps to Install the Swivel Mechanism
1. Attach the feet. Fix the feet (included in the kit) underneath your BESTÅ unit, 4 for the 120cm version or 6 for the 180cm version.
2. Prep the side leg. Attach the metal angle bracket to the shorter board. This becomes the side leg of your rotating desk.
3. Join the boards. Attach the side leg (with its metal angle) to the longer board, which is your actual desktop.
4. Add gliders. Fit the gliders under the side leg so it can move smoothly.
5. Mount the counter plate. Attach it to the underside of the long board, on the opposite end from the side leg.
6. Mark your holes. Use the Swivel Top ST3040 mechanism as a template to mark where it needs to be screwed down.
7. Install the mechanism. Mount the ST3040 onto the top of your BESTÅ unit, oriented for your chosen left or right rotation.
8. Connect and secure. Bring the desk assembly into position within the mechanism and fasten the final screws.
Optional Upgrades
- Add a side panel for a more finished look (Hynge has a reel showing how).
- Add a cover strip to hide the gap between the swivel desk and the cabinet below (Hynge has a reel showing how).
Coming Soon: Ready-Made Kits in the UK
Right now, Hynge ships the mechanical kit globally, leaving you to source and cut your own boards. But that’s about to get easier. In select countries, Hynge is planning to sell a full BESTÅ set complete with boards in predefined colours, already in stock and ready to go.
The UK will be first, with availability starting shortly, so keep an eye out for the update if you’d rather skip the board-cutting step altogether.
Your smartest IKEA hack is just a few steps away. Upgrade your BESTÅ with Hynge.
This post is sponsored by TheHynge.de.