Since its debut collaboration with Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis three years ago, IKEA’s donut-shaped VARMBLIXT lamp has been the retailer’s worst-kept secret – and easily its most popular lighting design to date. Now, the curvaceous silhouette remains the same, but for the first time, it’s upped its IQ, introducing color-shifting and dimmable capabilities that push the atmosphere at home well beyond the original amber glow.
The VARMBLIXT 2.0 works straight out of the box via a pre-paired remote control. Like IKEA’s other smart lighting products, it also connects to the DIRIGERA hub and the IKEA Home Smart app (as well as Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and the like), unlocking far more nuanced control. Users can match lighting to the rhythm of the day, control multiple lamps at once, and explore a surprisingly expansive palette of more than 40 shades, drawn from a broader spectrum of over 12,000 color presets.
The update arrives hot on the heels of 2026's atmospheric lighting trend, which sees color-changing light as one of the easiest ways to shift the mood of a room – often out-ambiencing even the furniture itself. The original amber glow lent itself nicely to relaxed rituals like listening to vinyl records, but the expanded palette now opens the door to far more calibrated experience: turquoise for winding down in the evening, warm reds that won’t disrupt melatonin before sleep, lively yellows for morning, soft pinks for dinner parties, and plenty more in between.
Despite sharing the same art-when-it’s-off, wall-and-table-friendly silhouette, the VARMBLIXT 1.0 and 2.0 are easy to distinguish by their finish. The original is glossy amber glass, while the new version arrives in matte white, allowing the smart lighting to glow from within rather than reflect outward.
Importantly, these shifts happen seamlessly. Considerable attention was paid to the transitions between colors – from standard white light to the glowing amber the original VARMBLIXT became famous for, and onward through the broader palette – allowing the atmosphere of a room to evolve gradually.
‘We spent a lot of time fine-tuning the transitions between the curated colors,’ notes VARMBLIXT designer Sabine Marcelis. ‘What makes this lamp unique is that switching between colors is not a sudden change, but a very smooth journey through all the hues to get to the next color. The light slowly moves through color to, in turn, transform the color of a space.’
IKEA’s VARMBLIXT is one of the rare affordable lighting designs to win over everyday decorators and serious design snobs alike. If the first version went viral, expect the 2.0 to go even bigger.
More IKEA Smart Lighting
Color-changing lights have been all the rage – and while fixtures matter, the easiest way to get the look is simply by swapping in a smarter bulb. Suddenly, your old lamps and pendants respond to your mood and activities – even if that activity is party mode. Connected via remote control, yes, there’s a setting for that too.
If this pendant light looks slightly Space Age to you, you’re not wrong – it riffs on IKEA’s original KLANG lamp design from the 1960s. It was a moment when dreams of the future – and all the strange things we might do with new technology – were very much top of mind. Little did it know that one day it could be dimmed with a tap after connecting to the DIRIGERA hub, working almost like magic alongside other smart products.
Your library could always use a little extra intelligence. Simply pivot the barely-there neck to cast light over a bookshelf, cabinet, or even a desk – but the real perk is dimmable control via the BILRESA remote. Up to six lamps can be adjusted at once.
IKEA VARMBLIXT Alternatives
If you want the closest thing to the cozy, warm ambiance emitted by the VARMBLIXT without quite the same price tag, this 4.8-star ‘aura donut’ lamp from Wayfair is currently around $20 less on sale.
For those fully ready to commit to the donut-light look, West Elm offers an especially elegant version, casting an even softer glow through opal glass and operated with intuitive tap-to-dim controls.
Lovers of the original VARMBLIXT will appreciate this orange-only lamp. It’s not reinventing the wheel (though you can choose from three different temperatures), but with a perfect five-star rating, it’s an even more affordable way to dip a toe into the trend.
Rumor has it Sabine Marcelis’s ongoing lighting collaboration with IKEA may continue expanding at the intersection of design and technology in 2027 – so stay tuned for future updates.
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