Outstanding Contribution Award 2023

Mr H.L. Lim & Ms Su Seam Teo
LTW Designworks

LTW Designworks

Leading the regional design scene since 1980 under the name of H.L. Lim & Associates, LTW Designworks was formed in 2001 by principal partner H.L. Lim and partner Su Seam Teo.

LTW is an international design studio specialising in luxury hospitality and residential interiors with physical offices in Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai and Bangkok and satellite offices in Milan and Brisbane.

LTW’s designs reflect an aesthetic ideal born from a respect for a sense of place and a commitment to innovation. The studio approaches every brief with in-depth research, considering the property’s geography, setting and cultural identity to create a compelling visual narrative.

H.L. Lim

Lim Hong Lian, who is known in the industry as H.L., was raised in a painter’s household. This artistic milieu fostered his love for the fine arts, which led him to enrol in a private art college in London.

H.L. began his career in the hospitality industry in London in 1973 before returning to Asia and shortly after, was named the managing partner of Chhada Siembieda & Associates Singapore in 1981. During his decade-long tenure, H.L., with a sense of elan and a streak of boldness, established himself as one of Asia’s top interior designers by expanding the firm’s luxury hotel portfolio.

Wanting to strike out on his own, H.L. founded H.L. Lim & Associates in 1991, now known as LTW Designworks, to put his stamp on how luxury hotels should be designed. In the last 43 years, the philosophy of designing with a distinct sense of place has become a signature characteristic of LTW—one that is not only widely recognised by peers, but also on the receiving end of multiple awards.

Su Seam Teo

Su Seam Teo designs high-end hotels with a steady hand imbued with vision, skill and creativity. As the go-to interior designer for some of the world’s top hospitality brands like The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong and Four Seasons Seoul, her body of work spans over three decades. In the past few years, Su has ventured beyond Asia and taken on projects in Cyprus and Spain to break out of her mould. This evolution of her design style has attracted clients such as Alila, Moxy and Marina Bay Sands, to name a few.

While one might describe Su as an aesthete and a purveyor of taste, who has the ability to craft visually striking spaces with intensity and nuance, it is her innate understanding of both the functional and commercial side of architecture, interior design and construction that makes her a bellwether of the industry.