Header: Courtesy of IKEA
Since their debut just over three years ago, the VARMBLIXT lamps have become some of IKEA’s most talked-about pieces, celebrated as much for their presence in a room as for the light they cast. The new versions take the idea further, adding smart functionality that enables light and colour to move and shift, changing the atmosphere of a room in an elegant way.
“The focus this time was on what more we could explore within the iconic form of the doughnut lamp. Colour variation is one part of it, but at its core VARMBLIXT has always been about how you experience light. In the original doughnut lamp, external light played on the glossy surface and bounced beautifully off it. With this version, the matte finish lets the light glow softly from within. It’s a very natural, technical evolution of how light can be experienced,” says the designer, Sabine Marcelis.
Shaping atmosphere through colour and light
The original VARMBLIXT will stay in the range and will be joined by the VARMBLIXT smart doughnut lamp. The new version features a soft, matte white glass surface and introduces a broad colour spectrum, effectively changing how the atmosphere of a room is experienced through light.
Using the included BILRESA remote, the lamp switches between twelve preset colours, all carefully curated by Sabine Marcelis. The sequence moves through different temperatures of white light into glowing amber and warm red, through soft pink, cool lavender and turquoise, and on to gentle yellow tones, before circling back to white light. Each colour is chosen to transition smoothly into the next, allowing the atmosphere to shift gradually to another without disrupting the feeling of a room.
“We spent a lot of time fine-tuning the transitions between the curated colours. What makes this lamp unique is that switching between colours is not a sudden change but a very smooth journey through all the hues to get to the next colour. The light slowly moves through colour to, in turn, transform the colour of a space.”
Sabine Marcelis
When connected to the IKEA Home Smart app through DIRIGERA, the doughnut opens up full control across the full colour spectrum with more than 40 shades, including subtle nuances, light intensity and dimming.
The VARMBLIXT smart pendant focuses on the nuances of white light. It moves smoothly from a crisp, cool daylight to a warm, candle-like yellow glow. Like the doughnut, it can be steered out of the box with the included remote or integrated into a wider smart-home setup.
“VARMBLIXT is one of those designs people instantly recognise. It has always been about the emotional aspects of light and Sabine’s way of shaping atmosphere. With these new versions, we expand that idea with updates that let people explore emotion more freely, moving across the full spectrum from cool tones to warm light,” says Chiara Ripalti, Lighting Product Developer at IKEA of Sweden.
IKEA’s Matter universe
Both lamps are built on the Matter standard, which means they can work across different smart home systems and be easily integrated into an existing setup. The launch builds on IKEA’s recent introduction of 21 Matter-compatible products, which laid the foundation for a simpler and more open smart-home experience. The next step is bringing smart functionality into everyday products where it can meaningfully improve how they are used and experienced at home.
A lasting collab
The collaboration between IKEA and Sabine Marcelis will continue, with a focus on exploring new interpretations of light and the emotional value it brings to everyday spaces and the atmosphere in the home. The next joint project will be a new collection of products that combine design and technology, planned to launch in 2027.
