The smartest doughnut in town … and other brilliantly designed IKEA lamps

Many wrenches make a brighter day

ÖDLEBLAD is a spherical pendant lamp made entirely from 60 interlocking birch pieces, each one shaped like our most famous tiny tool: the Allen key. Clicked together, they form a geometric globe that holds itself up with no extra fittings at all – just clever geometry and precision cutting. The lamp is fully flatpacked and uses minimal material, so the efficiency is built into the design from the start. Designer David Wahl calls it “designing the production itself” – the shape is the structure, the structure is the story. Suddenly, our humble little wrench isn’t hiding in the box – it’s out there in the room, setting the mood from the ceiling.

Colour-shifting cousin to a modern classic

Sabine Marcelis’ smart new VARMBLIXT lamp sheds new light on the iconic doughnut design, making it a colourful new member of one of our most talked-about collections. In the original version from 2023, external light plays on the glossy surface and bounces beautifully off it – in the new version coming in April, a matte white finish lets the light glow softly from within. The pre-paired remote allows the lamp to dim and transition between twelve carefully curated colours. When connected to the IKEA Home Smart app through the DIRIGERA hub, more than forty shades across the full colour spectrum become available. Built on the Matter standard, it fits into other smart home systems too. A familiar glow, with extra moves.

A lamp that thinks it’s a camera

SPETSBOJ, a Red Dot Award-winning table lamp by Mikael Axelsson, doesn’t just switch on – it swivels. Its standout feature is a mechanical dimmer inspired by a camera shutter. Two cylindrical shades sit together – rotate the top one and you physically change the size and shape of the opening, reshaping the beam of light as you go. The light shines from both sides, so a simple twist can turn bright task lighting into a softer, cinematic glow. And because it uses a standard bulb, all that analogue drama comes without any apps or extra tech. Think of it as a studio light for the living room, directed by a very small and satisfying flick of the wrist.

The key takeaway from yesterday’s takeaway

The VINDKRAFT table lamp has its origins in a place you might not expect: the texture of everyday paper food containers. Designer Paulin Machado took that humble paper pulp and handled it like clay, sculpting a shade that’s unique and uneven from every angle. The surface pattern is inspired by raked lines in a sandy beach, giving it a calm, natural character that feels almost meditative. The lamp casts a soft glow downwards, while the semi-translucent pulp allows the whole shade to glow as if the light is growing from within. The uneven surface also shifts the glow gently as you move around it – putting yesterday’s takeaway packaging in a completely new light.

Sheets that blossom into light

With her award-winning BÄCKNATE lamps, designer Raffaella Mangiarotti set out to create cleverly constructed objects with artistic expression and an everyday price. The table lamp is made from just two discs and two folded sheets, its soft volume created not by a bulky frame but by the tension of the fold itself. The form was inspired by the curves of an orchid flower, refined through experiments with pieces of paper until the right expression was found for the shade. Turned off, it’s a quiet sculpture. Turned on, the light reveals every fibre of the material, like Japanese rice paper. It’s the kind of radical simplicity that can even make assembling feel restful.

Anything else you’d like to know?

At IKEA, we have so many stories to tell. But many of them stay right here, within IKEA. That’s where our “IKEA – Who knew?” series comes in. Is there anything you’ve always wondered about IKEA but never had the chance to ask? Contact us at [email protected] and we’ll get digging.