The Govee smart lamp brightened up my room, and then my life

GadgetsCloseGadgetsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GadgetsTechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechSmart HomeCloseSmart HomePosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All Smart HomeThe Govee smart lamp brightened up my room, and then my lifeIt’s not perfect, but this smart lamp helped me reclaim a space that had quietly fallen apart.It’s not perfect, but this smart lamp helped me reclaim a space that had quietly fallen apart.by Sheena VasaniCloseSheena VasaniCommerce WriterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Sheena VasaniApr 25, 2026, 1:30 PM UTCLinkShareIf you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.Image: GoveeSheena VasaniCloseSheena VasaniPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Sheena Vasani writes about tech news, reviews gadgets, and helps readers save money by highlighting deals and product recommendations for The Verge.I knew things were not quite right when I had to throw a towel over a broken Ikea lamp to block out its light. How did I get here? I cover fancy and capable tech for a living, and yet, it took me two years to get rid of a pair of old, broken Ikea lamps in my bedroom. Then I got some floor lamps from Govee that changed everything.Those Ikea lamps were around for two years after I moved from Orange County to Los Angeles. Soon after that move, my mom’s Parkinson’s disease — a neurodegenerative condition with no cure — progressed quickly, my mental health took a hit, and most of my own to-do list quietly slid to the back burner as she lost mobility and more urgent things took over. So the big, ugly lamps just… stayed. They became part of the background, like everything else I wasn’t taking care of.I didn’t even have them plugged into a smart plug — another small upgrade I kept meaning to add to my bedroom, despite having them all over the apartment — which meant I had to get up every time I wanted to turn one on.RelatedHow caregivers are using smart tech to help aging parentsOne blasted harsh, overpoweringly bright light through a cracked shade. The other was warmer — but not warm enough — so I solved that problem one exhausted night by just throwing a towel over it. Yes, a fire hazard. Yes, I meant it as a temporary fix for a few days. But scattered caregiving brain means temporary fixes can turn into long-term solutions. At some point, it stopped feeling temporary and just became my new normal, even if it clearly wasn’t.Then my brother bought my mom and me two separate Govee Uplighter Floor Lamps for Christmas, and my Ikea lamp troubles were over. I did not expect to develop an emotional attachment to a lamp. But I did, and now it’s one of my favorite gadgets.The Govee was quick and easy to assemble, and much slimmer, taking up way less space than the old lamps. As I got rid of the old and set up the new, I felt an odd sense of relief and a small sense of control I hadn’t felt since the move.Within a week, the old lamp was out of my room. That small shift gave me momentum. I started decluttering other corners that had quietly piled up, things I’d been stepping around for months without really seeing anymore.The…

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