Lian Huat Furniture Rental

Stewarding Comfort
Through Every Move

How we helped Lian Huat Furniture Rental evolve its heritage brand for today’s modern, digital-first audience.

Team

Brand Strategist, Brand Designer,
Experience Designer

Duration

Scope

Logo & Identity System, Brand Strategy,
UX & Digital Experience, Brand Applications

6 months

Client Collaboration

Bi-weekly workshops, collaborative design sprints.

Honoring the past, designing for the tomorrow

Lian Huat has been a quiet icon in Singapore’s furnishing landscape since the 1960s. Known for its reliability, service, and familiarity, it became the go-to for expats and locals alike navigating major life transitions.

But in today’s fast-moving, digital-first world, even legacy brands must evolve.

We partnered with Lian Huat to modernize its identity, clarify its value proposition, and build a brand experience that resonates across both physical and digital channels—without losing the trust it had earned over generations

My Role

As the sole designer on the Lian Huat Furniture Rental rebranding project, I led the entire creative process from strategy to execution. I worked directly with the client to understand their business goals and reposition the brand to reflect reliability, modernity, and professionalism within the competitive rental furniture market.

I developed the full visual identity; including the logo, typography, color system, and supporting brand assets and crafted brand guidelines to ensure consistent application across touchpoints. From conceptual exploration to final rollout, I was responsible for every aspect of the brand’s creative transformation, shaping a cohesive identity that honoured the company’s heritage while presenting a refreshed, contemporary image.

A group of people gathered together in a room, posing for a photo, with some seated and others standing behind them. The room has shelves and furniture, and the photo appears to be vintage, possibly from the 1980s or 1990s.

Reimagining Furniture Rental for Today’s Movers

Woman standing in front of a Chinese restaurant with red Chinese characters on the sign above the entrance.
A storefront with a blue sign that reads 'Lian Huat & Co.' and a stylized logo of a person in a yellow outfit. The large glass window shows a warmly lit seating area with chairs, tables, plants, and decorative items inside.
Logo for Lian Huat Furniture Rental with a circular teal emblem and the company name in dark blue text.

The Challenge

Bridging Legacy with Modernity

Lian Huat’s brand held strong equity in trust, reliability, and local familiarity, but its visual identity and messaging had not evolved to meet the digital-first expectations of a younger, mobile, and more discerning audience. The challenge was clear: to preserve the brand’s legacy and warmth while crafting a scalable visual identity system that could seamlessly span signage, uniforms, digital platforms, and print. At the same time, it was essential to shift perceptions—from a purely utilitarian rental service to a thoughtful lifestyle partner that resonates with modern living.

Two framed posters on a concrete wall advertising furniture rental, with a sofa, a modern lamp, and a side table with a glass container in a contemporary room.
Logo for Lian Huat Furniture Rental featuring a teal circular icon with stylized geometric shapes and dark blue text.

Rooted in Purpose, Designed for Evertday Transitions

Our approach to the Lian Huat rebrand began by distilling its core offering: a sense of home during life’s transitional moments. Guided by the idea of The Furnishing Steward, this concept shaped our entire brand strategy and creative direction.

Our process included defining the brand’s archetype and personality, conducting competitive and historical benchmarking, and modernizing the visual identity through updates to the logo, typography, and color palette. We also applied the refreshed identity across various mediums and developed brand storytelling that reinforces Lian Huat’s legacy of multigenerational trust.

Three promotional brochures for Lian Huat Furniture Rental, each showing different styled home interiors: a bedroom, a dining room, and a living room.
A logo design preview with a circular emblem divided into four sections, shown in wireframe on the left side and in solid color on a blue background on the right side.

From Rental to Relationship

Through user interviews, stakeholder dialogues, and category audits, we discovered that Lian Huat’s customers were looking for more than just convenience—they were seeking emotional assurance. The brand stood out not because of flashy design, but because of its personal service and seamless processes. However, the existing brand lacked relevance to modern lifestyles, missing the opportunity to emotionally connect with today’s renters.

We uncovered an untapped potential in positioning Lian Huat as a steward—one that doesn’t merely rent furniture, but accompanies customers through life’s transitions. These insights led us to our north star: a brand that feels like a friend who handles the details so you can focus on living.

Image of three different types of business forms or invoices, with the company logo, for Lian Huat Leasing Pte Ltd, set against a teal background.

Stewardship of Space.
Care for Comfort.
Clarity in Every Detail

The Brand Idea: The Furnishing Stewards

This vision came to life through a warm, friendly, and direct tone of voice that avoids corporate jargon and speaks to real-life needs. The brand personality is defined by tenacity, humility, and dependability—positioning Lian Huat as a quiet, reliable helper. Visually, the identity combines soft, rounded typography with clean layouts to convey clarity and approachability, while a calming palette of teal, slate grey, and accent yellow reinforces a sense of reliability and warmth.

Business card for Lian Huat Furniture Rental, placed over patterned paper with furniture icons, on a green background.

A Brand Rooted in Trust, Reimagined for Today

Following the rebrand, Lian Huat’s visual identity now reflects its trusted service and resonates with a modern, evolving audience. A unified logo and color system enhanced brand recognition across both digital and physical touchpoints. Customer feedback highlighted the brand’s improved clarity, warmth, and contemporary feel, while internally, streamlined templates made day-to-day communications more efficient and reduced errors.

At every turn, Lian Huat stands not just as a provider of furniture, but as a partner in comfort—a steward who understands that home is a feeling worth renting well.