IKEA just transformed one of its iconic affordable lamps into a Matter-compatible smart light

IKEA has announced at CES that it’s giving its iconic VARMBLIXT lamp a smart upgrade, three years after it first launched. Considering IKEA only rolled out 21 new Matter-compatible products back in November, expectations for its CES appearance were fairly modest, making this reveal feel like a very pleasant surprise.

The original VARMBLIXT isn’t going anywhere, but it’s now being joined by a smart version of the instantly recognisable donut lamp. This updated model features a soft, matte white glass finish and a wide colour spectrum designed to shift the mood of a room through light. Crucially, it’s Matter-certified too, so it’ll also integrate neatly into a wide range of smart home ecosystems.

The smart VARMBLIXT will be available from April via IKEA’s website and in stores, priced at $99.99. UK pricing hasn’t been confirmed yet, but we’d expect it to land somewhere around the £70-£80 mark.

It also ships with IKEA’s new BILRESA remote, allowing users to flick between twelve preset colours curated by designer Sabine Marcelis. These move smoothly from different shades of white through amber and warm red, into soft pinks, lavender and turquoise, before looping back again.

Max, T3’s tech writer, has been at CES this week and got hands-on with the smart VARMBLIXT. He described the overall effect as “seriously gorgeous” and didn’t hesitate to call it “the slickest and most attractive bit of tech I’ve seen at the show”.

IKEA has also confirmed that this won’t be the last design-led tech project we see, with another joint collection planned for 2027. As soon as we hear more, we’ll keep you posted.