IKEA Introduces Enchanting Fixtures That Play With Light, Shadow, And Art

Light is a naturally fascinating element that keeps the attention aglow, drawing the gaze like a moth to a, well, flame. Yet, its far-reaching rays of inspiration end at the confines of the human mind. When we turn on the lights, it’s usually out of necessity so we don’t squint our eyes or fumble around in darkness. Rarely does one stare at a spark like a child in front of a birthday cake.

IKEA has a long-term plan to illuminate perceptions and help customers see the light that it’s not all about a reading lamp on your bedside table or bulbs in the ceiling. For the first glimmer, it worked closely with Sabine Marcelis—a Rotterdam-based designer who experiments with materials and the unique effects they create across products, installations, and spaces—to create a series of items that play with direct and indirect light.

The resulting collection, VARMBLIXT, features 20 items including sculptural lamps and tableware, each piece well-considered for its relationship with light and how it bounces off other objects in the room at various times of the day. Essentially, IKEA wants homeowners to view lighting as emotional, instead of purely functional, and the way it can easily transform their living space.

Although the selection brings nearly two dozen objects that dance with illumination, only four of them are light fixtures. The first is an elegant LED pendant lamp (above) that reimagines the chandelier with its curved pipes and frosted white glass, its material chosen to provide a shine that’s not too harsh.

Another item that marries form with function is the round, light-up wall mirror, which uses semi-transparent glass and a single light strip for a dim glow.

“Hung in a certain position where the sun can hit it at different times of the day, it can create these dynamic moments in the house that completely transform the space,” Marcelis describes of the LED wall mirror.

Another round wall lamp—made up of a complete line—protrudes ever so slightly at the top so light can gently wash onto the surface. Its mutedness, too, has a purpose.

“The typical wall at home is often white, and I wanted the lamp to blend in, so that you notice the play of shadow and light a lot more,” explains the designer.

The third LED object is a linear wall fixture that invites its owner to create their own brilliant art as it can be installed vertically or horizontally, and added to. Marcelis tells Better Homes & Gardens that she imagines several rods being displayed behind each other and facing others in a hallway to create the illusion of an archway. It could also be used as an individual piece to highlight a corner.

VARMBLIXT welcomes a shape Marcelis often creates with, the perfectly infinite doughnut. In the sense of lighting, she has dreamed up a fixture that can both be mounted to the wall or stood on a shelf, its orange glow creating a calming atmosphere in the room.

“When the light passes through the orange glass, it makes the soft doughnut-like shape shine with a warm glow,” shares the designer.  “It’s a magical sight that catches the eye—regardless of if it’s on a table or hanging on a wall.”

“We’ve been so used to working in a very functional way with light and actually got stuck thinking that the wall lamp had to be in the corridor, the table lamp on the shelf. Sabine really stopped this way of thinking in the team,” says IKEA product developer Chiara Ripalti. “She helped us see how you could play more with the architecture and aesthetics of the home. So, we explored a functionality more connected with aesthetics.”

“Just because you are great at doing a function doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s great design. There needs to be this connection between the function and the form,” chimes in Henrik Most, product and design manager on the IKEA Creative team. “In this case, how can you work with light as the light source and the materiality in a way that goes beyond the expected of what a light should do without losing its value as a functional light?”

Beyond lamp designs, VARMBLIXT offers items that serve as vessels for the passage of light, allowing you to reimagine your space almost like a Rembrandt painting that’s rich with shadows and highlights.

Two serving bowls, drawn from Marcelis’ doughnut shape, are designed to uniquely interact with their surroundings with their soft green and orange colors. There’s also an opaque, powder-coated aluminum coffee table that can also be used as a stool, and a transparent glass shelf to intermingle with natural and artificial light.

In line with the concept of this series, two rugs—one in orange and another in yellow—each sport an ombre design inspired by the sun’s rays at different times of the day.

However, some of the designer’s favorite pieces to work on appear the simplest—they’re the glass drinking set that’s fully clear, relying on their shapes and the sun to cast shadows on the table.

“It’s been left deliberately void of color so that the color of the beverages can activate them,” Marcelis details. “It’s another invitation to bring color into the home, and to keep switching it up.”

The launch is just on the horizon; VARMBLIXT is set to reach IKEA stores worldwide beginning February 2023.

[via Better Homes & Gardens, IKEA Newsroom, IKEA, images via IKEA]