Sabine Marcelis has revisited her Ikea lamp and it’s a colourful marvel

‘Varmblixt’, Sabine Marcelis’ cult, donut-shaped lamp for Ikea, returns in a new guise. Available from April 2026, the newly reimagined ‘Varmblixt’ features a smart update that includes colour-shifting and dimmable light.

The now-iconic lamp was first launched in 2022, as a way to explore 'the idea of how lighting functions within the home', Marcelis said at the time. Part of a wider collection that included lighting designs as well as glassware, the original ‘Varmblixt’ features orange glass and the option to be used as a table or wall lamp (this version will remain part of Ikea's catalogue once the new lamp is rolled out).

‘Varmblixt’ goes smart: discover Sabine Marcelis’ reimagined lamp for Ikea

The new lamp features a matte glass finish with light changing in colour to create different atmospheres within a domestic interior. Using Ikea's Bilresa remote, users will be able to control the light's chromatic palette, with a range of 12 hues curated by Marcelis.

Colour is at the core of the designer's oeuvre, and this project showcases her penchant for delicious pastels as the light seamlessly moves from a cool white to glowing amber, warm red, soft pink, cool lavender and turquoise.

'We spent a lot of time fine-tuning the transitions between the curated colours,' says Marcelis. 'What makes this lamp unique is that switching between colours is not a sudden change, but a very smooth journey through all the hues to get to the next colour. The light slowly moves through colour to, in turn, transform the colour of a space.'

A high-tech interpretation of the design, the new ‘Varmblixt’ also connects to the Ikea Home Smart app through the Dirigera Hub, allowing full control of the light's shade and intensity.

'The focus this time was on what more we could explore within the iconic form of the donut lamp,' says Marcelis. 'Colour variation is one part of it, but at its core, “Varmblixt” has always been about how you experience light. In the original donut lamp, external light played on the glossy surface and bounced beautifully off it. With this version, the matt finish lets the light glow softly from within. It’s a very natural, technical evolution of how light can be experienced.'

'“Varmblixt” [...] has always been about the emotional aspects of light and Sabine's way of shaping atmosphere,' adds Chiara Ripalti, Ikea's lighting product developer. 'With these new versions, we expand that idea with updates that let people explore emotion more freely.'

As Ikea continues its mission towards a technological home (having recently introduced 21 products compatible with universal smart home standard Matter), it also announced a new, tech-based collaboration with Marcelis to be unveiled in 2027. Watch this space.