There's a new statement piece in my living room — one that grabs everyone's attention when they visit — and nobody ever guesses it's from IKEA. The new smart version of the Varmblixt LED lamp launched earlier this year, and is a guaranteed conversation-starter that costs only $99.99 / £55.
The donut-shaped lamp can be placed on a table or mounted on a wall, where its frosted glass diffuser casts a soft halo of light. It was designed by artist Sabine Marcelis, who also picked out a palette of pastel shades to suit its soft curves.
You can switch between these colors by simply double-clicking a button on the remote control supplied in the box — and it's fun handing the controller to friends and seeing their smiles and the light shifts from one subtle shade to the next.
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Want more options? If you have IKEA's Dirigera hub, you can control the Varmblixt through the IKEA Home Smart app, which gives you access to a full spectrum of colors, lets you set the light color to change on a schedule, and allows you to link it to other devices, including sensors and switches.
If you're feeling really adventurous, you can even control it using Apple HomeKit or Google Home — and this week, IKEA added support for SmartThings, so you can operate your Varmblixt and other devices through your Samsung smart TV.
Some people have reported problems connecting the Varmblixt lamp to the app, and there appears to be a bug when trying to link it via Bluetooth. Choose the option to connect without Bluetooth, however, and it should work perfectly.
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What makes IKEA's app so special is its simplicity. I'm a fan of Philips Hue lights, but I'll admit that they can be time-consuming to set up, particularly if you want to use switches and sensors. IKEA's smart home system makes things a lot easier because you don't need to program the switch and decide which button should do what. Just follow the on-screen instructions to link the switch to the lamp, and it just works.
I've also used the lamp with one of IKEA's Bilresa smart switches, which have a large dial that you can turn with your thumb or press like a button. When connected to the Varmblixt lamp, double-pressing this dial changes the light color, and rotating it adjusts its brightness. Again, there's no complicated setup necessary.
Having used the Varmblixt lamp for a while, I think it looks most striking when mounted on a wall, and you can have it up and running in a couple of minutes. It's given a relatively dull room a whole new look, and I can't wait to have more people round to show it off.