Speaker lamps and speaker shelves: it's Ikea's stylish collaboration with audio experts Sonos

When it comes to designing a stylish and functional home on a budget, flat-pack furniture giants, Ikea, have pretty much got it covered. A one-stop-shop for all things furniture, home accessories and lighting, the only area that Ikea could previously have been considered to be lacking was in the audio department. But that's all about to change.

Thanks to a stylish collaboration with audio specialists Sonos, Ikea have announced their entry into the world of sound and music. This meeting of minds is not only intended to flood homes with high spec audio and quality design, but to appeal to the senses and create a warm, inviting and homely atmosphere as soon as you step through the door.

But what sets this collaboration apart from a standard audio system from Sonos is Ikea's unique design input and holistic approach to the mood-enhancing properties of light and sound. 

Discussing the Symfonisk table lamp (top and below), which comes fitted with a Wi-Fi speaker, Ikea designer Iina Vuorivirta says, 'We knew from the start that we wanted to challenge the traditional high-tech aesthetics. The lamp-speaker partly springs from the idea of the fireplace – one single piece that spreads warm light as well as sound.'

Design-wise, it's unlike anything previously created by Sonos, and can be connected to additional speakers or a wider Sonos system.

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There's an offering for those with slightly tamer tastes, too, thanks to the handy Symfonisk Wi-Fi book shelf speaker (below). In addition to functioning as a high quality speaker, it also doubles as a bedside table with capacity of up to 3kg and can be mounted in the kitchen with the help of Ikea's Kungfors Rail and Rack.

Commenting on the mood enhancing vision behind the collaboration, VP of Design at Sonos, Tad Toulis, says, 'Sound and music have a similar transformative quality to light. They make a house a home. You can be having a horrible day, and then come home and play music and find yourself in a much better place in a matter of minutes.'

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