Ikea’s New Mid-Century Reissue Is the Best $10 You’ll Spend All Year

Lights out. Ikea’s latest ceiling lamp is a convincing dupe of a mid-century classic.

Published February 13, 2025

·

Updated February 13, 2025

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

Ikea sells no shortage of splendidly affordable items, ranging from $1 packing cubes to a $99 lounge chair with high-design pedigree. But a brand-new lamp shade gives even the most famously affordable must-buys a run for their money.

Ikea calls it the “Gullsudare,” which translates to “goldsmith” and tells you almost nothing about the large pendant designed to hang from a ceiling.

No matter: it just arrived at Ikea stores globally and the $10 price tag is enough to turn heads. However, there’s more to this cheap ceiling lamp than may meet the average eye.

paper ceiling light — The Gullsudare ceiling light is a modern take on a vintage Ikea lamp introduced in the late 1960s.

Mid-century marvel

For shoppers who appreciate a touch of provenance, the Gullsudare is part of Ikea’s exceptional Nytillverkad collection of reimagined pieces from the retailer’s extensive archive dating back to the 1950s.

According to the brand, this one dates back to 1969, when it was called, quite simply, “Rislampa” (Swedish for “rice lamp”). Like the original, the Gullsudare is fabricated from rice paper, giving it a soft and pleasant glow when illuminated.

vintage paper ceiling light — Old Ikea catalog, such as this one from the 1960s, include lanterns just like the new Gullsudare.

Steel wires support its bulbous shape, which measures 27.5 inches for a rather large but not overpowering presence. Its subtle simplicity also matches a mix of different decor.

Paper trail

To be clear, the Gullsudare isn’t the first lamp since the 1960s to utilize rice paper. Throughout the decades, Ikea has used the material in various fixtures, including an entire suite of lamps in the 1990s.

paper ceiling lights — The page from an 1990s Ikea catalog.

Ikea also isn’t alone in its usage of paper for lighting. Perhaps the most famous example is Isamu Noguchi’s series of Akari light sculptures, which have been made out of washi paper since the 1950s.

In fact, the Gullsudare is a convincing dupe of the Akari 75A ceiling lamp, which retails for $600, or 60 times the cost.

The Gullsudare is available now online and at Ikea stores across the US.

Other pieces in the Nytillverkad collection include a new variant of the Dyvlinge swivel chair, upholstered in orange corduroy, as well as a reissue of the Guide shelving unit by Danish designer Niels Gammelgaard, rebranded as Byakorre.