Your house has good bones.
Let’s not waste them.
Studio Olio designs historic home renovations that feel like they’ve always been there.
Interior Design & Historic Home Renovation Denver
Studio Olio is a Denver-based design practice with a particular focus on historic homes — Victorians, Foursquares, Craftsman bungalows, and the older homes that have something worth keeping.
We design interiors that support your daily rhythms: the way you move through your kitchen in the morning, where you land at the end of a long day, how one room quietly leads to the next.
The goal is a home that feels easy to be in — finished and furnished for real life, not just to photograph.
These homes carry details that newer construction doesn’t: the proportions, the millwork, the way rooms connect. Once those are gone, they don’t come back. We build from those details, not around them — so the home feels like itself, only better.
Interior Design
Full-scope interior design. We plan, select, and furnish with the whole home in mind—so it functions effortlessly and feels cohesive from room to room, now and over time, in how you actually live every day, with comfort and ease.
Color Consulting
The right color does more than look good — it resolves a room. We work with your existing architecture, natural light, and finishes to find a palette that holds up over time. Available as a standalone service for any home.
Historic Renovation
Victorians, Foursquares, Colonials, Mission Style. These homes have an internal logic that newer construction doesn't — and a renovation that ignores it shows. We know what to preserve, what to update, and how to make the two feel seamless.
The Work, Start to Finish
Studio Olio handles the full scope of interior design and renovation for historic homes — from the first layout conversation through the final furnishing install. Every full service project moves through four phases, so decisions are made in the right order and nothing is left unresolved going into construction.
01 — Layout & Renovation Strategy We begin with the structure of the home — spatial planning, how it works, where it doesn’t, and what needs to change. This is where layout decisions are made, constraints are uncovered, and the direction of the project is set. Getting this right early prevents costly revisions later.
02 — Design Development With the layout established, we develop the full design — kitchen design, bathroom design, materials, fixtures, cabinetry, and finishes. Selections are made with the full context of the home in mind, so everything feels cohesive and considered.
03 — Documentation & Permitting Detailed drawings and specifications are prepared for contractor pricing, permitting, and construction. This is where ideas become buildable — so the project moves forward with clarity.
04 — Coordination & Installation As construction begins, we stay involved to ensure the design is carried through as intended — from construction coordination to final furnishing and drapery installation.
Studio Olio’s background spans interior design, hands-on construction, and full project coordination — which means we understand how a renovation is actually built, not just how it looks on paper.
The studio is led by Lora Frost, originally from Vancouver, BC, and based in Denver after living and working across the United States. With over two decades of experience across design and the building trades, Lora has worked with clients in person and remotely — adapting to how each project needs to run.
That background shapes everything: how we read a floor plan, how we communicate with contractors, and how we catch problems before they become expensive. When something unexpected comes up on site — and it always does — we know how to move the project forward without losing the design.
Our particular expertise is historic renovation — the kind of project where the architecture has opinions, the permitting is complex, and the details matter. We have relocated kitchens, matched historic millwork, navigated landmark review, and carried projects through conditions most renovations never encounter.
We stay involved from the first decision through the final install.
“The kitchen project’s success and the continuing improvements that are ongoing at the house, have been solely possible because of Lora’s hard work, leadership and skill as a project manager.”
Testimonials
Jane Collings
“Lora, thanks for creating such a home! It has been a wonderful experience and I could not be happier. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Lisa R
“Lora’s knowledge was impressive. She understood what I wanted and had a plan. Lora created what two previous contractors had not been able to do. Thank you Lora!”
J Bennett
“The kitchen project’s success and the continuing improvements that are ongoing at the house, have been solely possible because of Lora’s hard work, leadership and skill as a project manager.”
Nicole Forest
“What I love most about our new design is how it flows with the land, it feels as if it has always been here.”
J Wright
I’ve managed 2 major renovations myself, and will NEVER do that again. Hire Lora, unequivocally.
The Olio Letter
For people who know that how you live matters as much as where. On homes, intentional living, and the art of designing a life that feels right.
On the blog…
Victorian Bathroom Renovation: A Full Gut in 36 Square Feet
Are you looking for some bathroom ideas? Take a look at the before and after
photos of a Victorian Style Bathroom that was inspired by a French hotel.
The Build: What It Actually Takes to Renovate a 1911 Kitchen
Renovating a kitchen in a 1911 Victorian means opening up walls that haven’t been touched in a century. This is that post — the version that comes before the finished photos. The one where the dust is winning and the decisions that make a kitchen last are getting made.
The Build: What It Actually Takes to Renovate a 1911 Kitchen
Renovating a kitchen in a 1911 Victorian means opening up walls that haven’t been touched in a century. This is that post — the version that comes before the finished photos. The one where the dust is winning and the decisions that make a kitchen last are getting made.
