Hire a Designer
× Welcome back to the homeowners' community Log In with Facebook Log In with Google or
Remember Me Forgot Password?
If you are a provider click here to login Don't have a RenoTalk Account?
× Welcome back to the homeowners' community Sign Up with Facebook Sign Up with Google or Sign Up with Email By Signing Up, you agree to our Terms of Use & Privacy Policy Already have a RenoTalk Account?
Renovation Details

Property Type

HDB

Condo

Landed

Commercial

Property Status

Area Size

Floor Plan (optional)

Renovation Details

Renovation Budget

Key Collection Period

Loan Required

I'm interested in free 12 month home insurance!

We provided protection for you and your family losses caused by any of the insured perils

Consent to contact
I confirm that the information I have provided is my personal data.
By providing this information, I understand that AXA Insurance Pte Ltd (collectively “AXA”) and their respective representatives or agents may collect, use, and/or disclose the information I have provided for the purpose of contacting me about products and services offered by AXA, and I give my consent for AXA and their respective representatives and agents to contact me for this purpose by Telephone, Text Message & Email.

*Terms and Conditions
This offer of the complimentary 1st Year free coverage for Smart Home Essential with basic Sum Assured of $50,000 on Fixttures, Fittings & Renovation, $250,000 Worldwide Personal Liability coverage is exclusively for RenoTalk visitors. Each participant is entitied to one time redemption only and the offer are not exchanged for cash. In consideration of Desmond Kwa Organisation’s collaborations with different corporations, each participant;s member is only entitled to one time. If you have previously enjoy a promotion from Desmond Kwa Organisation you will not be eligible for this offer.

*The offers are only valid for insurance plans purchased from AXA Financial Planners appointed by Frankie Tong Unit of Desmond Kwa Organisation, an agency unit representing AXA Insurance Private Limited. Frankie Tong Unit of Desmond Kwa Organisation reserves the right to change the terms and conditions without prior notice.

Disclaimers:
1. This form is not a contract of insurance. The precise terms and conditions of the plan are specified in the policy contract.
2. Buying a life insurance policy can be a long-term commitment. An early termination of the policy usually involves high costs and the surrender value payable may be less than the total premiums paid.
3. The above is for your information only and does not have any regard to your specific investment objectives, financial situation and any of your particular needs. You may wish to seek advice from an AXA Financial Planner before making a commitment to purchase the product. In the event that you choose not to seek advice from an AXA Financial Planner, you should consider whether the product in question is suitable for you.
4. A product summary is available and may be obtained from AXA Insurance Private Limited and the participating distributors' offices. You should read the product summary before deciding whether to purchase the policy.
5. Buying health insurance products that are not suitable for you may impact your ability to finance your future healthcare needs.
6.Investments in investment-linked policies (“ILP”) are subjected to investment risks including the possible loss of the principal amount invested. The value of units in the ILP sub-fund and the income accruing to the units, if any, may fall or rise. You should read the product summary and the product highlights sheet (“PHS”) before deciding whether to subscribe for units in the ILP sub-fund. The product summary and the PHS may be obtained from a Financial Planner representing AXA Life Insurance Singapore Private Limited.
7. The insurance policy featured in this form is protected under the Policy Owners' Protection Scheme which is administered by the Singapore Deposit Insurance Corporation (SDIC). Coverage for your policy is automatic and no further action is required from you should you buy the policy. For more information on the types of benefi­ts that are covered under the Policy Owners' Protection Scheme as well as the limits of coverage, where applicable, please visit the AXA website at www.axa.com.sg or visit the LIA or SDIC websites (www.lia.org.sg or www.sdic.org.sg) for a copy of the SDIC Guide on PPF Scheme (Life Insurance).

Contact Information

Name

Contact Number

E-mail

Our team will contact you shortly after you submit this request. Do ensure that your contact details above are correct.

By submitting, you are accepting our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

What's in it for me? 5 Quotations (up to) from reputable interior designers FREE Curated Renovation Packages 24 Hour quick turnaround Join the growing 46,923satisfied homeowners
Your Renovation Budget? Homeowners with similar property type spend $35,000 SGD on average
"I Saved Up to 50%" Ashok Kumar, Homeowner "I was so stressed while looking for a good interior design company, so I'm really grateful to have stumbled upon Renotalk as they streamlined this tedious process by half! The condominium packages were a bargain, and I can safely say I've saved up to 50% from them."
Send me goodies, exclusive deals, and Inspiration for my home! We pinky promise not to spam your mailbox! Sign me up
"I Saved Up to 30%" Muhammad Fahmi, Homeowner "I used RenoTalk's method of getting quotes and received many attractive packages without hassling & bargaining! I even gained an extra 30% value and better service from the Renovators!"
×
Maintenance Details

Property Status

What service do you need?

Network Services
Mover
Storage
Aircon Services
Electrician
Home Automation
Caterer
Carpentry
Flowers Delivery
Painter
Laundry System
Landscaping

Contact Information

Name

Contact Number

E-mail

Our team will contact you shortly after you submit this request. Do ensure that your contact details above are correct.

By submitting, you are accepting our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

What's in it for me? 5 Quotations (up to) from reputable interior designers FREE Curated Renovation Packages 24 Hour quick turnaround Join the growing 46,923satisfied homeowners
Send me goodies, exclusive deals, and Inspiration for my home! We pinky promise not to spam your mailbox! Sign me up
"I Saved Up to 30%" Muhammad Fahmi, Homeowner "I used RenoTalk's method of getting quotes and received many attractive packages without hassling & bargaining! I even gained an extra 30% value and better service from the Renovators!"
×

Designing With A Heart

Living & Lifestyle

5803 views

5803 views

image for Designing With A Heart

Loren Lim with his winning entry for the IKEA Young Designer Award 2016 competition: the Oneware series consisting of a silicone mat, a table pad and a coaster. He designed it to make the work of doing chores easier and safer for single-hand users. (Photo: Loh Yong Jian)


His competitors came up with a gardening pot armed with solar-powered lamps, a watering tank that can be controlled from an app on a smartphone and a kitchen rag holder equipped with germ-killing UV LED lights.

 

Compared to these cutting-edge devices, Loren Lim’s designs look simple – primitive almost.

 

His product? A silicone mat with bumps on it to hold plates and other utensils in place while they’re being scrubbed.

 

It’s designed to make dish washing easier for amputees and others – such as stroke sufferers, those with arm injuries and even mothers carrying babies – who are able to use only one hand.

 

The 25-year-old created it as part of his Oneware series, a collection that also includes a table pad with a curved surface and a coaster with a hump on one side.

 

With these, single-hand users can more safely pick up delicate items like scissors, knives and piping hot bowls of food.

 

image for Designing With A Heart

Loren Lim pitches his designs to the judges and the audience at the finals of the IKEA Young Designer Award 2016. His three-piece collection eventually won him the competition. (Photo: IKEA Singapore)


He beat out 19 other contestants in the finals of the IKEA Young Designer Award 2016 held at the National Design Centre on Thursday (11 Aug).

 

Lim, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in industrial design from the National University of Singapore (NUS), clinched $1,500 in cash and a trip to IKEA’s headquarters in Sweden.

 

For Lim, winning the competition all but confirmed that someone had finally heard his plea for an “all-inclusive society”.

 

RESEARCH

 

He first toyed with the idea of designing for single-hand users during his final-year thesis.

 

Even before embarking on his thesis, he had already partnered with a classmate to design a finger splint. It was part of a collaboration between NUS and the National University Hospital.

 

The project allowed him to work closely with patients, who expressed their difficulties in dealing with chores.

 

Lim says the patients were worried that everyday products just aren’t suited for people with disabilities, leading many to feel like they were burdening others around them.

 

Egged on by their feedback, he decided to try to break the social stigma.

 

As part of his research, he visited the Disabled People’s Association Singapore and SG Enable, a day centre that provides care and skills training to people with disabilities. He would talk to these people and observe them perform everyday tasks.

 

But Lim admits that the process wasn’t easy.

 

“Some were quite reserved,” he says. “But I eventually got to know them better, and they started to share a little more of their lives with me.”

 

He’s certainly not new in persuading strangers to open up about themselves.

 

When he was in secondary school, he would volunteer to help clean the homes of the elderly and chat with them. He also took part in Flag Days when he was studying in NUS.

 

image for Designing With A Heart

Loren Lim designed this silicone table pad with a curved surface that allows delicate items to be picked up with ease. (Photo: IKEA Singapore)


In the end, it was an unexpected event – a visit to the home of a woman with a congenital arm defect – that gave him the breakthrough he needed.

 

Lim had showed her his design sketches, and so convinced was she of his passion that she invited him to her house.

 

There, she showed him how she did her chores, at the same time revealing a few occasions where she had nearly dropped the plates while scrubbing them.

 

“I got to see how someone with a disability actually lived, and this helped me with the development of my products,” Lim says.

 

He recalls another encounter he had during the research process.

 

“I gave this amputee whom my friend had run into on the streets a prototype of my product (silicone mat), and it solved his frustration of not being able to keep his plates still while he washed them.”

 

Song Kee Hong, who was Lim's thesis supervisor, says he enjoyed working with Lim because of the motivation Lim possessed. 

 

He says: “He's (Lim) a skillful designer who's able to create a great user experience by addressing real user needs.

 

“No matter how busy he is, he always makes the extra effort to understand the needs of the people he's designing for.”

 

KEEPING IT SIMPLE

 

When asked if he had planned to keep his designs simple all along, Lim says he has always strived to create products that could be “picked up and learnt very easily”.

 

The main idea is that the users don’t feel weird using the products and that they enjoy using it, he says.

 

In fact, he feels that tacking on bell and whistles to his designs could make the products more tedious to use – so much so that he entered the competition with only one product.

 

During a consultation with one of the competition’s judges, Lim was encouraged to expand his range to beyond just products that help with tasks in the kitchen.

 

The result is a table pad that can also be used to elevate stationeries for easier picking up.

 

Already, Lim is thinking of “service design”, a term used to describe the organisation of different components in an experience so as to make it seamless for users.

 

For example, strategically placed lifts and travelators in a MRT station can help passengers transit smoothly and quickly between multiple train lines.

 

He says: “As long as there’s a way to help people, I think that’s enough for me.”

 

image for Designing With A Heart

Loren Lim's coaster makes it safer for single-hand users to pick up a piping hot bowl of food. (Photo: IKEA Singapore)


 

ONE STEP AT A TIME

 

Through broadening the functionality of his products, Lim hopes the public can eventually see them as items that pander to not just people with disabilities but also the convenience of the everyday person.

 

He also aims to work with local manufacturers and retailers to turn his products into mass-market items.

 

But Lim maintains that “he’ll just do his best and see what happens”.

 

For now, he’s excited about the trip to IKEA’s headquarters in Sweden, where he hopes to showcase his designs, explore the country’s culture and learn from the furniture chain’s 15 in-house product designers.

Request for quotes and we'll match you with a selection of Interior Designers!

Previous

This BTO flat In Tampines is Traditional, Yet Modern

Next

10 Must-See Ideas for Your Upcoming BTO Renovation

Interested in Renovating your home, offices & retail shops?

Request for quotations here

Name

Contact Number

E-mail

Renovation Type

By submiting your request, you are accepting to our Terms of use and our Privacy Policy

...

You may also be interested in

She Designs Furniture for IKEA
iQuartz Idol: Interior Designers Who Can Sing
Singapore Designers: Furniture Designers To Know
He Brings Artwork Into the Kitchen
Our Top 7 Picks At Maison & Objet 2016
×

Sending Enquiry

Name Email Contact Number What is your preferred time

Anytime

Between
8am - 12pm

Between
12pm - 6pm

Between
6pm - 12am

Enquiry Sending Enquiry to