Small rooms, big clutter, stale air: a smart-looking side table promises relief, blending into living spaces without advertising its tricks.
Meet IKEA’s STARKVIND, a circular oak veneer side table with a secret. It doesn’t just hold your coffee and a plant. It also scrubs the air you breathe and slots into a smart home with little fuss.
What it is and why people care
The STARKVIND looks like a tasteful piece of furniture first. It comes in white or dark brown oak veneer, with a round top that suits living rooms, bedrooms and kids’ spaces. The cable hides inside a leg, so you don’t add spaghetti to your sockets. It suits tight corners and rented homes where every centimetre counts.
One piece, two jobs: a £165 side table that doubles as a home air purifier, designed for small spaces.
The headline feature sits below the tabletop: a built-in purifier that targets airborne particles. Switch it on for daily background cleaning, or let it ramp up during pollen spikes, busy playdates or post-cooking odours. It is furniture that earns its floor space, which matters when square footage is tight and budgets are tighter.
How the purifier works
IKEA pairs a pre-filter for big debris with a particle filter aimed at finer matter. The pre-filter traps hair, lint and visible dust. The particle filter is rated to capture around 99.5% of smaller particles, including pollen and common household dust. That combination targets irritants that trigger sniffles, scratchy throats and itchy eyes.
Set it to auto and the fan speeds up when it senses particles in the air. Prefer hands-on control? You can adjust it manually and keep it steady while you read, rest or hold a call. Run it harder and the moving air brings a mild cooling feel, while also helping to dilute odours from last night’s curry or wet-dog day.
- Two-stage filtration: a pre-filter for larger debris, plus a particle filter for 99.5% of fine particles.
- Auto mode: the fan increases when airborne particles rise, then steps back when the room clears.
- Manual control: set a steady speed for study time, bedtime or background cleaning.
- Smart options: connect via IKEA’s DIRIGERA hub and IKEA Home smart app.
- Voice assistants: works with Amazon Alexa, Hey Google and Apple HomeKit.
- Neat install: power cable routes through a leg to reduce clutter.
- Finishes: white or dark brown oak veneer with a circular top.
- UK price: about £165.
A 99.5% particle claim for dust and pollen, plus app and voice control through DIRIGERA, Alexa, Google and HomeKit.
Smart home fit
Connect STARKVIND to DIRIGERA and fold it into your routines. You could have it ramp up during the school run when windows open and pollen rides in. You might set a schedule for cooking hours, then drop it back for TV time. If you already use IKEA’s smart kit, it feels familiar. The same ecosystem includes smart hubs, LED lighting, speakers created with Sonos and wireless blackout blinds. Prefer simple setups? STARKVIND also runs without a hub.
Who should consider it
Parents managing toy-littered floors and bedtime sniffles. Flatmates sharing compact lounges. Students in studio spaces with little spare surface. Pet owners who vacuum yet still see fur on the breeze. Anyone who needs a table anyway and would welcome cleaner air as a bonus.
Placement and everyday use
Give the intake and outlet room to breathe. Avoid pushing the table flush against a wall or draping heavy throws over it. Keep it near the action, not behind thick curtains. In a bedroom, place it beside the bed for a nightstand that tidies cables and keeps tissues and a book handy. In a lounge, angle it between a sofa and an armchair so the moving air circulates around people, not into a corner.
| Mode | What it’s best for |
|---|---|
| Auto | Hands-off cleaning when dust or pollen rises during busy hours. |
| Manual low | Quiet background operation for reading and bedtime. |
| Manual higher | Faster air movement after cooking, cleaning or pet grooming. |
| Smart control | Schedules and voice commands through DIRIGERA and supported assistants. |
Place it where a table already makes sense and let the purifier do discrete daily work in the background.
Cost, upkeep and practical care
At around £165, STARKVIND replaces two purchases with one footprint. Ongoing care matters. Vacuum the pre-filter gently to stop build-up and keep airflow steady. Check the IKEA manual for filter replacement guidance and follow any on-device or app alerts. Lower fan levels cut noise and draw less electricity. You can time higher speeds for short bursts when dust or odours peak.
Do not use a purifier as a substitute for ventilation. Crack a window when the outdoor air is cleaner than indoor air, and use extraction fans when you cook or shower. Source control—wiping surfaces, washing bedding hot, grooming pets—works hand in hand with filtration.
What else sits in IKEA’s smart range
IKEA’s smart family spans essentials and nice-to-haves. There are hubs to orchestrate devices, bulbs that dim and shift tone, and speakers developed with Sonos that tuck onto shelves. Wireless blackout blinds help sleep routines, and standalone air purifiers cover rooms where a table isn’t needed. If you’re building a starter smart home, STARKVIND fits without demanding a tech overhaul.
Limits worth noting
Air purifiers deal with particles; they don’t fix damp, mould growth or fumes at the source. They push air, which can feel draughty at close range when set high. They also need filters kept in good condition to work properly. Think of STARKVIND as a daily reduction in exposure, not a magic wand for every air problem.
Real-world scenarios to weigh up
Allergy season turns bedrooms into battle zones. Putting STARKVIND by the bed can cut pollen and dust while also freeing surface space. A living room that doubles as a home office will gain both an end table and fresher air for long calls. In a child’s room, a circular top keeps corners soft, and the hidden cable reduces temptation for little hands. For a rented flat with tight corners, it replaces a clunky purifier tower and a side table that never quite fit.
You can go further. Pair it with regular vacuuming using a good filter, damp dusting instead of feather dusters, and extractor fans during frying or high-heat cooking. If you dry clothes indoors, place the table where it can keep air moving and help reduce stuffiness. For pet owners, run a higher setting after brushing to catch what floats up.
The bigger picture for small homes
Indoor air collects what life sheds and stirs: dust, pollen, pet dander and the fine haze from everyday cooking. A purifier woven into furniture earns its keep without adding clutter or gadget fatigue. That is the appeal here. STARKVIND blends into your room, makes the air feel fresher and stays useful even when switched off because it remains a table you’ll use every day.
If it really hits 99.5% for dust and pollen while doubling as a nightstand, I’m interested. My tiny flat needs furniture that works twice. My alergies will thank me.
99.5% of what, exactly? At what particle size, and what’s the CADR, room coverage and noise (dB) on low? Without those, the claim feels a bit airy.