It's no secret that I'm always on the hunt for reliable, affordable smart home gear, which often means turning to Ikea whenever I need a new remote or sensor for my home. Ikea's low price is certainly a major factor, but I also appreciate the wide selection and option to control everything locally without an internet connection.
So, I jumped at the chance to stop by Ikea's cozy display suite at the Venetian during CES 2026. Since this is the company's first foray into CES, I think opting for a private suite rather than a showy booth on the main show floor was a good choice to emphasize the cozy vibes (and cozy prices) of its latest technology.
Read more: Best of CES 2026: 22 Winners Awarded by CNET Group
While Ikea announced many of these products last November -- including smart home sensors, smart lighting and Bluetooth speakers -- the home furnishings company also surprised me with updates to the stunning Varmblixt series of lamps and a $10 Bluetooth speaker that isn't half bad. Here's everything the brand had on display, with a few highlights that caught my attention.
Varmblixt enters the Matter equation
You can place the Varmblixt donut lamp on a shelf or mount it on the wall -- I love the sci-fi vibe you get when stacking them. John Carlsen/CNET
The most striking elements of Ikea's CES display are the updated Varmblixt donut and pendant lamps. Originally debuting in 2023 through a collaboration with Rotterdam-based designer Sabine Marcelis, these latest Varmblixt versions are now compatible with the wider Ikea Home Smart app and Matter ecosystem.
While the first iterations of the Varmblixt donut lamp boasted a fixed color palette, the Varmblixt smart donut lamp's Matter capabilities support an automatic color cycle of 12 preset colors right out of the box using the included Bilresa remote control. You can even expand it to 40 colors and access dimming controls by linking it with Ikea's Dirigera smart home hub.
During my visit, I didn't think to try the remote with the smart donut lamp to see if it only cycles through a preset color pattern or if you can pause it on a specific color. My Ikea contact confirmed that you can manually cycle through the colors to find your favorite. You don't need a Dirigera hub for this function, only the included remote. (The same applies to the smart pendant light.)
I love the three-curved light bars of the Varmblixt smart pendant light, which create a cozy atmosphere that would be great over a kitchen table or as a modernist chandelier in a high atrium. John Carlsen/CNET
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