Ikea’s smart donut lamp is a sweet treat

At a glance:

• Ikea’s Varmblixt lamp adds color-changing, dimming, and smart-home control to a playful donut-shaped design.
• Works standalone with included remote or unlocks hundreds of colors via Matter-over-Thread with Ikea Dirigera hub or any Matter platform.
• Priced at $100, it’s an affordable, replaceable-bulb accent light that doubles as a stylish bedside or wall-mounted fixture.

A playful form meets smart function

Ikea’s latest Varmblixt lamp takes the brand’s popular donut-shaped light and gives it a full smart-home makeover. The bulbous, wall-mountable or table-ready fixture now features color-changing LEDs, dimming, and seamless integration with both Ikea’s own ecosystem and Apple Home’s Adaptive Lighting. In testing, it proved to be a versatile bedside companion that freed up surface space when wall-mounted and added a playful ambiance to a teenager’s room.

The lamp’s matte finish replaces the glossy look of the original, helping the new palette of colors pop. Out of the box, it comes with 12 preset shades curated by designer Sabine Marcelis, including whites, blues, greens, pinks, oranges, and yellows. The included Bilresa remote, powered by AAA batteries, offers immediate control over on/off, dimming, and color cycling without requiring a hub.

Smart-home integration and expanded capabilities

Pairing the Varmblixt with Ikea’s Dirigera hub ($109) or any Matter-compatible platform unlocks hundreds of additional colors, scheduling, adaptive lighting that mimics natural daylight, and the ability to create custom scenes. The lamp also works with Apple Home’s Adaptive Lighting, gradually shifting white hues throughout the day. For users who already own a Thread-enabled Matter controller—such as an Apple HomePod, Amazon Echo Show, or Google TV Streamer—no extra hub is needed.

Ikea’s broader smart-home push includes a range of Matter-over-Thread devices starting at around $5, from smart bulbs to motion sensors and air-quality monitors. All are designed to interoperate with Ikea’s Dirigera hub or any Matter platform, making it easier to build a cohesive smart home without being locked into a single ecosystem.

Setup, quirks, and real-world performance

Setting up the Varmblixt was straightforward. While the remote wasn’t pre-paired, Ikea’s minimalist instructions made connecting lamp and remote a matter of a few button presses—far simpler than the old Tradfri pairing process. Once connected to the Dirigera hub, the lamp responded promptly to single, double, and long presses for on/off, color changes, and dimming. Occasional lag appeared after hub integration, and initial Matter pairing with Apple Home required multiple attempts and a week’s patience, but connectivity stabilized after onboarding.

The lamp’s 180-lumen output is modest, making it better suited for ambiance than task lighting. Its replaceable bulb is rated for 25,000 hours, and the remote’s AAA batteries are cheaper and easier to swap than the coin-cell cells common in other smart remotes. Wall-mounting the roughly foot-wide fixture freed up significant bedside table space, though the cable can be a challenge for clean installation.

Versatility, affordability, and design appeal

Beyond basic control, the Bilresa remote can be programmed as a scene controller, managing multiple lights and smart plugs throughout a room. Pairing with Ikea’s $9 Myggspray motion sensor allowed the lamp to turn on automatically when movement was detected, with adjustable timing settings in the app. This kind of affordability—motion sensors and smart buttons for under $10—marks a significant step toward making smart homes accessible.

Compared to competitors like Philips Hue, LIFX, Govee, and Nanoleaf, the Varmblixt stands out for its replaceable bulb, lower price point, and designer aesthetic. While RGB-heavy fixtures from other brands can be fun, Ikea’s lamp offers broader versatility and a subtler design that blends into home decor. With its combination of playful form, Matter connectivity, and designer polish, the Varmblixt is a genuinely delightful addition to the smart lighting market.