Lindsey Adelman Bubble Chandelier

Venturesome Manhattan lighting designer Lindsey Adelman creates dramatic chandeliers, pendants and decorative objects that draw on natural forms and frequently see an integration of blown glass, porcelain and vintage brass. 

Having already earned her undergraduate degree in English, Adelman worked as an editorial assistant at the Smithsonian museums until she met a woman carving french fries out of foam for an exhibition. This chance meeting proved to be a turning point in her life, as Adelman decided to pursue a career in design. 

Adelman began to work for a manufacturer in Seattle that produced hand-blown glass lighting fixtures after earning a degree in industrial design at the Rhode Island School of Design during the late 1990s. She determined that she would focus on lighting design and moved to New York City. 

In Manhattan, Adelman cofounded a lighting studio called Butter with designer David Weeks in 2000. Six years later, she opened her own eponymous firm. The studio’s inaugural design was Adelman’s Branching Bubble chandelier, an elegant, sculptural fixture that features hand-blown glass spheres created by Brooklyn artist Michiko Sakano. It gave way to a collection of other chandeliers, pendants, sconces and floor lamps.

Adelman’s work, which is inspired by poetry, nature and art by the likes of Alberto Giacometti, has been exhibited at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. She served as a judge for the 2015 Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award and led design workshops for kids that were hosted by the institution. Her provocative Catch collection of pendants was exhibited at the Nilufar Gallery in Milan.

Find Lindsey Adelman lighting on 1stDibs.

Chandeliers — simple in form, inspired by candelabras and originally made of wood or iron — first made an appearance in early churches. For those wealthy enough to afford them for their homes in the medieval period, a chandelier's suspended lights likely exuded imminent danger, as lit candles served as the light source for fixtures of the era. Things have thankfully changed since then, and antique and vintage chandeliers and pendant lights are popular in many interiors today.

While gas lighting during the late 18th century represented an upgrade for chandeliers — and gas lamps would long inspire Danish architect and pioneering modernist lighting designer Poul Henningsen — it would eventually be replaced with the familiar electric lighting of today.

The key difference between a pendant light and a chandelier is that a pendant incorporates only a single bulb into its design. Don’t mistake this for simplicity, however. An Art Deco–styled homage to Sputnik from Murano glass artisans Giovanni Dalla Fina (note: there is more than one lighting fixture that shares its name with the iconic mid-century-era satellite — see Gino Sarfatti’s design too), with handcrafted decorative elements supported by a chrome frame, is just one stunning example of the elaborate engineering that can be incorporated into every component of a chandelier.

Chandeliers have evolved over time, but their classic elegance has remained unchanged. Not only will the right chandelier prove impressive in a given room, but it can also offer a certain sense of practicality. These fixtures can easily illuminate an entire space, while their elevated position prevents them from creating glare or straining one’s eyes. Certain materials, like glass, can complement naturally lit settings without stealing the show. Brass, on the other hand, can introduce an alluring, warm glow. While LEDs have earned a bad reputation for their perceived harsh bluish lights and a loss of brightness over their life span, the right design choices can help harness their lighting potential and create the perfect mood. A careful approach to lighting can transform your room into a peaceful and cozy nook, ideal for napping, reading or working.

For midsize spaces, a wall light or sconce can pull the room together and get the lighting job done. Perforated steel rings underneath five bands of handspun aluminum support a rich diffusion of light within Alvar Aalto's Beehive pendant light, but if you’re looking to brighten a more modest room, perhaps a minimalist solution is what you’re after. The mid-century modern furniture designer Charlotte Perriand devised her CP-1 wall lamps in the 1960s, in which a repositioning of sheet-metal plates can redirect light as needed.

The versatility and variability of these lighting staples mean that, when it comes to finding something like the perfect chandelier, you’ll never be left hanging. From the whimsical — like the work of Beau & Bien’s Sylvie Maréchal, frequently inspired by her dreams — to the classic beauty of Paul Ferrante's fixtures, there is a style for every room. With designs for pendant lights and chandeliers across eras, colors and materials, you’ll never run out of options to explore on 1stDibs.