IKEA made its historic debut at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 in Las Vegas, presenting an impressive lineup of affordable smart home devices. This first appearance by the Swedish furniture giant at the world's largest technology exhibition became a significant event, demonstrating the company's serious intentions in the smart home technology segment.

Instead of chasing impressive concepts or artificial intelligence integration that dominated the show from competitors like Samsung, LG, and Bosch, IKEA focused on what it does best: creating thoughtful, affordable products that naturally fit into everyday life. The company unveiled 21 Matter-compatible devices, emphasizing ease of use and democratization of smart home technologies.


The centerpiece of IKEA's presentation was the smart version of the legendary Varmblixt lamp — a characteristic donut-shaped product that became a viral hit since its launch in 2022. Created in collaboration with Dutch artist and designer Sabine Marcelis, the original Varmblixt lamp quickly sold out and became one of IKEA's most popular products. Company representatives reported that on average, approximately one Varmblixt lamp is sold every five minutes in the US, underlining its incredible popularity.

The new smart version of Varmblixt maintains the iconic donut shape but is now equipped with color-changing and dimming functions. The lamp received a matte white glass coating that changes color from within when switching between 12 preset shades. Control is performed using the new Bilresa remote control from IKEA's new smart home device lineup.

A feature of the lamp is the smooth transition between colors. According to Sabine Marcelis: "We spent a lot of time fine-tuning the transitions between the curated colors. What makes this lamp unique is that switching between colors is not a sudden change, but a very smooth journey." This feature creates atmospheric lighting that changes naturally, rather than in abrupt jumps.


For users preferring more granular control, the IKEA Home Smart app allows selection from a wider range of 40 shades, mixing and matching them to obtain full color spectrum options. This means users are no longer limited to the seventies-inspired orange glow characteristic of the regular lamp and can unlock a huge range of aesthetic options.

The smart Varmblixt lamp will be available in both wall-mounted and table versions priced at $99.99 in the US with corresponding regional pricing. Sales will begin in April 2026. In addition to the table and wall donut, IKEA also presented a smart version of the pendant lamp from the Varmblixt collection, characterized by a cluster of curved tubes that focuses on the nuances of white light and glows with a spectrum of hues from cool white to candle-like yellow.

Beyond the iconic Varmblixt lamp, IKEA introduced an expansion of its affordable Kajplats smart bulb lineup. The company announced a new smart bulb costing just $6 that supports Matter-over-Thread and works with Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings. Also introduced is a more premium globe bulb for $15 that looks attractive and modern — a long-awaited answer to the request for more aesthetic but affordable smart bulbs.


One of the most interesting new devices was the Bilresa remote control. It's a smooth, riverstone-like object available in two variants: with two simple buttons or with a button and a scroll wheel. The device feels pleasant to hold and use, equipped with a magnetic mount so as not to lose it. The buttons and scroll wheel provide tactile and pleasant interaction — clicking, scrolling, adjusting — instead of being trapped in an app.

IKEA also presented a complete lineup of Matter-enabled smart devices, including smart plugs for $8, various sensors for the home. All these devices are designed with IKEA's signature aesthetic — rounded forms, playful names, and prices that make experimenting with smart technology low-risk. Critically important, there were no demonstrations or unrealistic concepts — this was a more practical debut, oriented toward smart home technology for people who want their homes to work better without becoming smart home experts in the process.

All IKEA Matter-enabled devices work with the company's DIRIGERA hub, but thanks to Matter's interoperability principles, users can also use any Matter-compatible hub they already own. During the CES demonstration, even in the notoriously congested exhibition network conditions, devices responded quickly. Pressing a button changed lighting, turning a dial changed brightness — everything worked smoothly and responsively.

However, there's one small caveat: Google Home support for some generic Matter controls is still evolving. Devices connect, but Google doesn't always know how to interpret every button press. This is more a platform limitation than a hardware problem, and everything still works smoothly inside IKEA's own app and other ecosystems like Apple Home and Samsung SmartThings.

In the audio area, IKEA introduced the compact Kallsup Bluetooth speaker costing just $10, which will go on sale in April 2026. The cube-shaped battery-powered speaker is available in three colors, supports Bluetooth 5.3, and provides up to 20 hours of battery life. A feature is the ability to link up to 100 speakers together to create a chain, although this is done through a direct wireless connection rather than standards like Auracast.

While this limits IKEA product compatibility with other brands, the advantage is that the connection becomes seamless. Connecting speakers to each other takes just a few seconds. Sound quality is not impressive, but for a $10 speaker it's quite good — sufficient for background music or podcasts.


In addition to budget options, IKEA showcased a new line of premium audio devices from the Teklan collection, created in collaboration with designer and photographer Tekla Evelina Severin. The collection, first announced in November 2025, includes circular Bluetooth speakers in color-saturated patterns and solid variants ranging from 8 to 18 inches.

Particularly highlighted are two new mushroom-shaped Kulglass speaker lamps with glass shades inspired by soft-serve ice cream. These devices went on sale on January 1, 2026, and are equipped with the convenient Spotify Tap function. Also available is the portable Solskydd Bluetooth speaker, which can be mounted on a stand or attached to a wall.

IKEA's CES 2026 debut received wide recognition from the industry and exhibition visitors. IKEA's meeting room inside the Venetian hotel, though modest in size (about a regular living room), was filled with interested visitors wanting to see what Swedish designers brought to the exhibition. A bowl of BELÖNING chocolate bars helped cope with the crowding while guests explored the new smart home lineup.

Experts noted that IKEA's approach contrasts with typical smart home offerings that can often be powerful and impressive but not always approachable. The typical mix of apps, bridges, and compatibility caveats can make users feel more like tech support than homeowners. IKEA worked on solving this problem by showing how complex systems can be simplified into products most people actually want in their homes, at prices they can afford.

The main takeaway from IKEA's first year at CES is that nothing screamed for attention with loud statements. Instead, there was confident, consistent work toward smart homes that feel less like tech demos and more like actual living spaces. CES 2026 key announcements from IKEA showed that the company wasn't trying to reinvent the smart home but was trying to make it more livable, affordable, and tactile.

All new smart home devices from IKEA started appearing in the company's stores and on its website in January 2026, with some products like the Varmblixt lamp and Kallsup speaker scheduled for release in April. IKEA global range manager David Granath believes the Varmblixt lamp originally took the internet by storm because it's a "genuine design item" at an affordable price, and the smart version should continue this success.

Source: abit.ee