This IKEA donut lamp has invaded my dreams, and now I want nothing but to own 12 of them

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This IKEA donut lamp has invaded my dreams, and now I want nothing but to own 12 of them News By Lance Ulanoff published 14 January 2026

Did IKEA make the best product of CES 2026?

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Every once in a while, you stumble on a gadget that haunts your nights and can pop up unbidden in your daydreams. You imagine it on your desk, next to your best 4K TV, or filling a wall like a vertical box of delicious donuts.

IKEA's quirky, donut-shaped Varmblixt lamp is that product, and I haven't stopped obsessing over the Bluetooth lamp since I saw it at CES 2026.

Varmblixt isn't brand new, but this version represents a significant update, with a fresh glossy finish and a multitude of colors. Let's start with the basics, and I'll try to explain why I'm so smitten with the $99 illuminator.

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First of all, IKEA's Varmblixt is shaped like a giant donut (roughly one foot in diameter). At first glance, it has no visible seams and, though I spotted a power cord running out of it, I wasn't sure how IKEA fed it into that perfectly smooth torus shape. Naturally, I flipped the lamp over to see the well-hidden plastic base, which, in addition to the power cord entry, houses a slot for wall hanging.

Varmblixt invites you to touch it. Even before IKEA reps explained the new product, I was running my hands over the smooth glass surface and admiring its glow.

The CES 2026 IKEA setup featured almost a dozen of these lamps, which was fitting since the upgraded Varmblixt now supports 12 distinct colors, including the original orange, and new white, amber, red, pink, lavender, and turquoise, among others.

The other big upgrade here is the Matter over Thread integration, which means Varmblixt now works with virtually any smart home platform, including Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Home.

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I'm glad, though, that IKEA chose to keep the tiny physical remote, which means that even if you don't want to hook the lamp up to an app, you can access all 12 colors (app control raises the customization level to 40 distinct hues).

There's the other reason I'm obsessing over Varmblixt: I used that remote. Unlike most other Bluetooth LED-based lighting systems that make hard, almost jarring switches between colors, Varmblixt takes it slow.

With each press of the remote, I watched as the color shifted almost imperceptibly, then slowly transitioned to the new, fully-dimmable hue. Not only that, but the color diffusion under the molded glass is near perfect. It's simply beautiful to watch, and I loved basking in the glow.

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Function follows form

None of this would work so well if there weren't such a clear marriage between the design and color choices. Dutch artist Sabine Marcelis clearly designed the pair to be a marriage of hue and form. Even the way the colors change is more like a symphony than a switch, and is the perfect match for the Varmblixt's smooth looks.

Perhaps the other thing that attracted me to the Varmblixt is its fundamental simplicity. No hubs, just a choice to use the remote or the app.

One wonders if the Philips Hue lineup of smart lighting products would be the same kind of sensation if it paid as much attention to design and simplicity.

I remember thinking that Varmblixt would be perfect if it were also rechargeable and truly wireless; then my secret dream of a wall of them could come true.

The other thing I loved is that even though this is a more powerful and smarter version, Varmblixt will still cost just $99 (prices will vary outside the US) when it ships in April.

I know this is just a lamp, but the best technology products are often the ones that do one thing and do it very well. Varmblixt appears to succeed on that level, but it will do more than that because when you have one or more of these donut lamps in the home, they will be instant conversation pieces. And whether you're using your app, voice, or the handy remote to control them, I bet you elicit more than a few 'oohs' and 'ahhs'.

There is, by the way, another Varmblixt option, a large hanging LED pendant light, which looks like a random bunch of hanging 'U's. It currently only supports white light and also ships in April for $149. I do not dream about that lamp.

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TOPICS CES Lance UlanoffSocial Links NavigationEditor At Large

A 38-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist, Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.

Lance Ulanoff makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Mark, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC. 

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