The Collector's Eye: Lindsey Adelman
The Poetry of Light: Discovering Lindsey Adelman
Every once in a while, I come across a designer whose work stops me in my tracks — work that feels less like an object and more like a living, breathing presence in a room. Lindsey Adelman is one of those rare visionaries. Her lighting is not simply functional; it is sculptural, soulful, and deeply emotional. To live with one of her pieces is to live with art that radiates warmth and wonder.
What I love most about Adelman’s work is her ability to create tension and balance at the same time. There’s always this dialogue between fragility and strength, the organic and architectural. A Lindsey Adelman chandelier feels as though it might have grown there on its own, like a branch stretching toward the light, yet every joint, every angle, every bubble of glass is considered with astonishing precision.
Her now-iconic Branching Bubble Chandelier feels weightless, like a constellation floating just above eye level. It manages to be both bold and quiet, anchoring a space while never overwhelming it. I find myself drawn again and again to the way she works with glass and brass — two materials that could feel cold in other hands but, in hers, become warm, fluid, and deeply tactile. The glass orbs are never identical; they have that hand-blown irregularity that feels so human, so alive.
Adelman’s collections tell a story of evolution rather than trend. The delicate glow of the Paradise Series feels like an intimate whisper, while the playful yet commanding Cherry Bomb fixtures bring a dose of irreverence and glamour. The Drop Pendants remind me of jewelry — elegant, restrained, and timeless, like a single pearl suspended in midair. Each piece is distinctive, yet all of them carry that same unmistakable Adelman DNA: a quiet drama, a respect for materials, and a refusal to settle for anything ordinary.
Her journey as a designer is as inspiring as her work. Trained at RISD, Adelman fell in love with glass early on and began experimenting with how it could transform and hold light. What began as curiosity has become an extraordinary body of work — collections that have redefined the way we think about contemporary lighting. From her New York studio, she collaborated with artisans, engineers, and craftspeople, always pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. There’s something beautiful about the way her pieces retain that handmade quality, a reminder that human hands and creativity are at the heart of every object she produces.
As a designer, I find myself endlessly inspired by her lighting because it shifts the energy of a room instantly. It’s not decoration — it’s atmosphere. The right Lindsey Adelman piece feels like it brings the space into focus, as though everything else falls into harmony around it. I love that her work has both presence and subtlety, that it can command attention in a grand dining room or quietly transform a more intimate corner. I’m also very excited to soon be sharing a project where we have used several of her pieces.
Lindsey Adelman’s lighting reminds me why we do what we do as designers. She shows us that beauty isn’t only about what we see — it’s about what we feel when we inhabit a space. Her work elevates the everyday, turning a simple flick of a switch into an act of ritual, a small moment of awe. And isn’t that what good design should do?
— Michelle Waugh
Images Taken From Design Milk Magazine, Pamono Magazine, Dezeen Magazine, CEENLI, and Lindsey Adelman Studio