Two women and a man working at a workbench, with a big TV screen in the background.
17 April 2019

IKEA and Sonos shine a new light on sound

It’s most definitely our loudest lamp ever. The SYMFONISK table lamp with WiFi speaker combines the best of light and sound and challenges the traditional idea of sound technology in the home.

By merging light and sound, and by creating a speaker that blends into the home in a new way, IKEA and Sonos want to make it easier to furnish with sound.

Sara Morris, Product Manager at Sonos, knows most there is to know about where people tend to place their speakers. She also knows that for most of us it’s the sound, not the speaker itself, that is important. People don’t want a toaster, they want toast, as Sara puts it.

“At Sonos we have the sound expertise and plenty of data about speakers in people’s homes. We know that there’s never enough counter space, never enough power sockets, and always too many cords lying around. Together with IKEA we can solve all these problems.”

A blonde woman measuring a black table-lamp base with a folding rule.
A small white table lamp with a black base on a grey workbench, with a clear lamp shade beside it.

She’s been involved in the project since the start back in 2016. From day one it’s been a close collaboration where the teams have focused on their respective strengths and learned from each other.

“It’s kind of like cooking with someone new – it’s powerful being able do something neither of us would be able to come up with on our own”, says Sara.

While Sonos has contributed with the sound skills, IKEA stands for the home furnishing knowledge and the design direction.

“We knew from the start that we wanted to challenge the traditional high-tech aesthetics”, says IKEA-designer Iina Vuorivirta.

“The lamp-speaker partly springs from the idea of the fireplace – one single piece that spreads warm light as well as sound.

Iina doesn’t hesitate when asked about the biggest challenge from her point of view:

“There are so incredibly many considerations to take into account when working with sound. Our design had to be 100% true to the sound quality Sonos stands for, without any compromises. At the same time, we wanted to create something altogether new.”

Two persons with white gloves pulling a grey sock over a speaker-lamp base.
A man inspecting two beige speaker-lamp bases on black treys, with people in the background.

After months of intense teamwork and rigorous testing, the table lamp-speaker (or speaker-lamp if you prefer) is ready to hit the IKEA stores in August. Fast following will be the launch of the IKEA TRÅDFRI Sonos integration, which will allow customers to create scenes with light and sound.

“I remember the first time I experienced its full effect – when the lamp lit up at the exact same time as the music started. It was one of those wow moments that makes time stand still”, says Iina.

Hand-drawn sketches of table-lamp designs pinned to a white wall.
A black speaker lamp beside a glass carafe and two glasses on a wooden cabinet.

SYMFONISK table lamp with WiFi speaker in short

  • SYMFONISK table lamp with WiFi speaker is made by IKEA in collaboration with Sonos and spreads a soft mood light as well as playing high-quality sound.
  • The table lamp speaker shares the great WiFi performance and the simple, intuitive interface with the rest of the Sonos family – and it connects to all other Sonos speakers.
  • Wirelessly connect to all other Sonos speakers over WiFi and control with the Sonos app.
  • Pair with another SYMFONISK Bookshelf Speaker for left-right stereo sound, or use as rear surrounds for your home theater with a Sonos Beam, Playbar, or Playbase.