'We're still a home furnishing company, it's just that adding smart functionality can give our products superpowers': IKEA exec shares the brand's big smart home plans

At the start of this year, IKEA unveiled an affordable new smart home gadget range comprising various sensors, remote controls, and lightbulbs – all Matter-compatible. At the same time, we saw smart home features added to iconic product lines, such as the Varmblixt donut lamp.

I got a sneak preview of the new range at CES in January, and afterwards I caught up with David Granath, Range Manager for Lighting and Home Electronics at IKEA, to find out more about the brand's longer-term smart home plans.

The short version is: it looks like smart functionality will become more common at IKEA. "This launch of sensors, bulbs and remote is the foundation of rebuilding our smart home range and we will continue to expand into new areas," he says.