Maria Lindemann was born in Wiborg, Finland (Viipuri), and studied from 1939 to 1945 at Taideteollisuuskeskuskoulu, now known as the Aalto University School of Arts, Design, and Architecture in Helsinki. In 1953, Lindemann took part in a competition of lighting fixtures, announced by the Idman company. This competition resulted in a full-time job as the Idman’s artistic designer
The Idman company at that time was the biggest lighting manufacturer in Finland, exporting lighting fixtures globally, and Lindeman’s designs varied to include both modern and classical forms. During the 1950s and 1960s, Lindeman became one of the voices in constructing Finnish modernism, a participating member in the formulation of the Golden Age of Finnish design.