The Queen's abruptness

The smile spreads across Lindsey Adelman's face.

– You know, it's just a positive and a negative electrical wire, a light bulb and a socket - it's not difficult to make a light. A child could do it!

She knows, of course, that modern lighting is a much more complex affair than that, especially at her level; the queen of luxury lighting.

– But there is a spontaneous and direct DIY feel to working with light that is very attractive, she says. Light has no given shape of its own, and the luminaire can look any way you want. This gives you much more creative freedom than when you are designing, say, a sofa or a chair where the framework is more predetermined. And you can achieve a lot with little means - light can change the feel of an entire room. Plus, technology is evolving so quickly, opening up new possibilities, all the time.

Lindsey Adelman started her own business in 2006, following the success of her first piece, Branching Bubble, which she showed that year at the ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) in New York.

– I really wanted to create a showstopper and pretended I was designing it for Donatella Versace!" says Lindsey.

The now iconic chandelier (then plated in 24-carat gold) kick-started Lindsey Adelman's career. It also initiated today's hugely influential New York scene with brands and designers such as Roll & Hill, Apparatus, Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, Bec Brittain and David Weeks, in addition to Lindsey herself. The common denominator is exclusive lighting with an emphasis on solid materials, genuine craftsmanship, local production and avant-garde design.

Lindsey Adelman's workshop and showroom in NoHo, Manhattan, employs around 30 people. Prototypes and some one-offs are made in the workshop, while external suppliers are used for mass production. Two limited edition collections per year ensure quality. There are also a number of special projects in collaboration with companies, institutions and wealthy private customers.

– Everything we produce comes from a lot of daydreaming, conversations and testing with real, full-scale parts. I think that care shows in the finished product," says Lindsey.

Her favourite thing is to be in the middle of the process: imagining, sketching, brainstorming, assembling and disassembling.

– If I didn't have to finish things, I would probably never do it, she smiles. There is so much joy in the process.

En Adelmanbelysning is about exploring materials, shapes and emotions - and about contrasts. The delicate, hand-blown, organic, poetic is set against the industrial, technical, metallic, gothic. The gaps between moments of inspiration are equally wild. Lindsey notes the shape of a handbag clasp on the subway, can't shake the image memory of a hopped-up ball of rubbish, memorises the sight of a swarm of birds passing by, takes the hit of a hard rock wave from a good speaker.

Nature is constantly present in what you do. Perhaps more surprisingly, Guns n Roses comes up as a reference. Is music an important influence?

– Really! My husband used to be a DJ and we are still, literally, surrounded by a tonne of records. Music is part of everything I do. Yesterday we played Protection by Massive Attack for our son - and I couldn't stop the tears, after all these years!

Do you seek out what you think might inspire you, or are you more open to anything you come across?

– Tomorrow I am going to see Medea by Simon Stone at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. I know I will be moved, just as Yerma affected me. I seek out creative input in all forms, love exploring nature, and try to see everyday life with open eyes. I want to draw out the emotions from such experiences in what I do.

What are you most pleased to have achieved so far?

– That I made the big and difficult decisions when I felt creative and in touch with myself and others – never out of fear.

What is most satisfying about being where you are now, professionally?

– All the support I have around me. It allows me to really go all out.

What do you think you have brought to the market?

– Unexpected and luxurious lighting. Unpredictable shapes that both bring out the full potential of the materials and solve practical tasks.

What do you want to do next?

– Continue on this path, but also develop myself to work outside the design world with sculpture, video and installation.

Do you have an on/off button?

– When I'm in that amazing creative bubble - whether I'm painting, moulding or sharing my latest idea with my team - it feels more like there's no button at all. Everything is so simple. No demands, no right or wrong - just one big relief.

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