This stylish IKEA side table is hiding a clever secret

I may be Ideal Home’s Air Quality Expert, but even I can’t ignore the fact that air purifiers are very boring (and often very ugly) to look at. And I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather add an appliance that offers both style AND substance to my home, which is why I can’t stop thinking about the STARKVIND Air Purifying Table (£150 at IKEA).

When you think about the best air purifiers, there’s a high chance that you immediately think of big-name brands such as Blueair, Levoit, Dyson and Shark. And while these brands have regularly topped the charts for performance, the design and aesthetic of their air purifiers have often been lacking.

However, IKEA is the unexpected air-purifier hero that blends Scandinavian charm with everyone’s desire for a healthy home. The best part? This appliance will purify indoor air in any room, while offering up extra storage space for everything from your living room remote controls to your bedroom alarm clock.

Available in white or dark brown colourways, the IKEA STARKVIND Air Purifying Table offers a stylish way to improve air quality in spaces up to 20 m2 (215 sq ft). With the ability to detect and remove tiny PM2.5 particles (which include dust and pollen) from the air, it’s basic but bold.

It can also be relatively hands-off, as you can choose to adjust the settings manually, set it to auto mode, or even connect it to the IKEA DIRIGERA Hub (£60 at IKEA) so that all of your smart devices can be controlled via IKEA’s app. In fact, you could even connect your air purifier to IKEA’s exciting new smart sensors so that every corner of your home is available at your fingertips.

You don’t need to worry about it disrupting your everyday life, either. Not only will it negate the need for a separate air purifier that will ultimately take up space in your home, but at its quietest, this stylish air purifier table registers at just 24dB. This is equivalent to the soft rustle of leaves, making it impossible to hear while you’re watching television and offering calming white noise while you’re sleeping.

I know from firsthand experience that IKEA air purifiers can be effective, too. I previously tested the almost-as-stylish £29 IKEA UPPATVIN Air Purifier, and it drastically reduced dust in my home. The 3 fan speeds and 99.5% filter efficiency also seemed like a steal for the sub-£30 price tag, and the design was easy enough to slip into my home decor relatively unnoticed.

Of course, I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I didn’t state that IKEA air purifiers aren’t top-of-the-range air purifiers – especially if you want to use an air purifier to help with hay fever. That’s because their 99.5% filter efficiency doesn’t meet the 99.97% threshold for HEPA filters. This means it won’t be able to capture as many particles as advanced filters.

In comparison, the top-rated air purifier we’ve tested so far, the Blueair Blue Max 3250i Air Purifier, filters out 99.97% of airborne particles down to 0.1 microns in size – which makes it better suited to those who struggle with breathing concerns like asthma, hay fever, or other allergies.

For those who just want to take the edge off during the spring months, or just want to keep excess dust and odours at bay, IKEA’s air purifiers can still be effective. And when they look like the STARKVIND, they can also be very stylish.

Plus, you can add the STARKVIND filter for gas cleaning (£15 at IKEA) to the model, which improves its air cleaning ability. With this extra filter in tow, it will also be able to absorb everything from cooking fumes to the formaldehyde often found in furniture and cleaning products. So, you have options to make it bigger and better.

Alternative air purifiers

Yep, IKEA has nailed it once again…