Born in New York in 1968, Adelman discovered industrial design while working as an editorial assistant at the Smithsonian Institute. After graduating from Rhode Island School of Design, she moved to Seattle to work with the Resolute lighting company, before eventually returning to New York and launching Butter, a collaboration with fellow RISD graduate David Weeks. One of their first projects was Lunette - a glass-fiber clip-on lamp - which earned both a Design Distinction award in I.D.’s 1999 Annual Design Review and an Editor’s Choice Award in lighting at ICFF.

In 2006, Adelman founded her eponymous studio in Manhattan. Here, she produced The Branching Bubble -- a hand-blown glass chandelier emblematic of her dream-like, futuristic aesthetic. Other popular evolutions include her “You Make It” series - which allows clients to customize their own fixture with easy-to-assemble pieces; Cherrybomb, a glamorous take on cherry trees; and the Clamp - which marries delicate blown glass with the industrial edge of a pewter vice.

An ever-curious multidisciplinary artist, Adelman’s work has grown to include jewelry, tiles, furniture, wallpaper, and music video. Her pieces have been shown at The Future Perfect and BBDW Gallery in New York; Nilufar in Milan; the Beirut Art Center, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and Design Miami.