Historic Home Renovation & Interior Design in Denver
Historic homes were built with a logic of their own. The proportions, room layouts, windows, millwork, floors and architectural details all contribute to how the house feels. Renovating one well means understanding what is worth preserving, what can change, and how to make the home work beautifully for the people living there now.
Studio Olio specializes in historic home renovation in Denver, from kitchens and bathrooms to whole-home interiors. We combine interior design with hands-on construction knowledge to create homes that feel considered, personal and connected to their architecture — without turning them into museums.
Planning a renovation of an older Denver home?
Award-Winning Historic Home Renovation Design
Studio Olio was named Historic Home Renovation Design Firm of the Year 2026 – Colorado in BUILD Magazine’s Architecture Awards. Our 1889 Victorian Bathroom Renovation also received Best Historic Bathroom Renovation Project 2026.
Historic Doesn’t Mean Living In a Museum
A historic home should still work for modern life.
That can mean a kitchen that finally works. More storage. Rewired electrical, updated plumbing and HVAC. A second bathroom. Lighting that does its job. Custom cabinetry. A floor plan built for the people who live there.
It can also mean color, pattern, wallpaper, contemporary furniture and lighting, and rooms that reflect the people who live in them rather than a particular period in history.
What it doesn’t mean is stripping a home of the architectural and historic details that give it its character. We don’t erase original millwork, windows, doors, fireplaces, built-ins and other meaningful elements simply to make an old house feel newer. Those details are part of the architecture, and preserving them is fundamental to how we approach historic renovation.
At Studio Olio, the goal isn’t to make an old house new. It’s to understand what belongs, preserve what matters, and thoughtfully change what no longer works.
Preserve What Matters. Change What Doesn’t Work.
Every historic home is different, which is why there isn’t a universal list of what must stay and what must go.
Whenever possible, we look carefully at original windows, doors, millwork, built-ins, fireplaces, hardwood floors, plaster and architectural proportions before recommending their removal or replacement. These elements are often difficult — and sometimes impossible — to authentically recreate once they’re gone.
Other parts of an old house were never particularly functional, have reached the end of their useful life, or are themselves the result of an unfortunate renovation decades later.
Kitchens can move. Bathrooms can get better. Storage can be added. Electrical and mechanical systems can be modernized. Missing millwork can be recreated. And a poorly conceived alteration doesn’t become historically significant simply because it’s old.
The important part is knowing the difference.
Interior Design Informed by Construction
Historic renovation requires more than choosing finishes.
Old houses rarely behave exactly as drawings suggest they will. Walls aren’t always straight. Floors aren’t always level. Previous owners have made changes. Materials and construction methods have evolved. And once work begins, something unexpected is almost inevitable.
Studio Olio founder and principal designer Lora Frost brings hands-on construction experience to the design process, including framing, electrical, roofing, HVAC, cabinetry and finish work.
That knowledge influences decisions long before construction begins.
We think about how cabinetry will be built, how new millwork meets old, what may be hiding behind a wall, whether an original element can reasonably be repaired, and how a design decision will translate from a drawing into a finished room.
The result is design that respects the architecture and can actually be built — with better decisions made before construction begins.
Designing Denver’s Older Homes for Modern Life
Denver has a wide range of older homes, from late-19th-century Victorians and Denver Squares to Craftsman bungalows, Tudor Revival homes, Colonial Revivals and other architecturally distinctive houses.
They aren’t interchangeable.
A renovation that belongs in a Victorian isn’t necessarily right for a Tudor. The proportions, materials, millwork, windows, fireplaces and original layout all provide clues about what belongs in that particular house.
Studio Olio designs whole-home renovations, kitchens, bathrooms, primary suites and individual rooms, including space planning, custom cabinetry and millwork, lighting, plumbing fixtures, tile and stone, flooring, wallpaper, color, furnishings and architectural finishes.
Studio Olio is based in the Denver area, with projects throughout Colorado and across the United States, Canada and abroad.
What Thoughtful Historic Renovation Looks Like
Sometimes respecting a historic home means keeping something exactly where it is.
Sometimes it means changing it.
In an 1889 Victorian renovation, we relocated a poorly positioned kitchen while preserving the home’s original heart pine floors, recreating historic trim profiles and incorporating existing fireplace millwork into the new design. The kitchen became significantly more functional without losing its relationship to the rest of the house.
In the home’s award-winning bathroom, the original clawfoot tub and door were restored while plumbing, electrical and HVAC were updated and a custom vanity was designed specifically for the small room.
These aren’t decisions made from a checklist. They come from understanding the house, the people living in it and what each space needs to do.
In the home’s award-winning bathroom, the original clawfoot tub and door were restored while plumbing, electrical and HVAC were updated and a custom vanity was designed specifically for the small room.
These aren’t decisions made from a checklist. They come from understanding the house, the people living in it and what each space needs to do.
Renovating a Historic Home in Denver
Working on an older Denver home can introduce another layer of considerations beyond the design itself.
Some properties are individually landmarked or located within historic districts, which can affect proposed exterior alterations. Depending on the project, permitting, structural work and updates to older electrical, plumbing or mechanical systems may also need to be coordinated as part of the renovation.
Not every old house is landmarked, and not every renovation requires historic review.
We consider those requirements early in the design process when they apply so that the design can respond to the home’s architecture, the realities of its existing construction and any applicable review or permitting requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions About Historic Home Renovation
Can you modernize a historic home without losing its character?
Absolutely. Modernizing how a house functions doesn’t require making it look contemporary. Kitchens, bathrooms, lighting, electrical systems, storage and mechanical systems can all be updated while preserving the architectural elements that give the house its identity.
Should I replace the original windows in my historic home?
Whenever possible, yes — we want to keep them. Original windows are an important part of a historic home’s architecture and are often better candidates for repair or restoration than homeowners realize. We investigate whether they can reasonably be preserved before recommending replacement. The right answer ultimately depends on their condition, the house and the goals of the renovation.
Can you make a historic kitchen more functional?
Yes. Historic kitchens often need better storage, lighting, electrical capacity, cabinetry and workflow. Sometimes the existing footprint can be improved; in other homes, relocating or reconfiguring the kitchen makes more sense. The goal is a kitchen that functions for modern life while still feeling connected to the architecture around it.
What types of historic homes do you work with?
Studio Olio works with historic and architecturally distinctive homes of many periods and styles, including Victorian homes, Denver Squares and Foursquares, Craftsman bungalows, Tudor and Tudor Revival homes, Colonial Revivals and others.
We don’t apply a generic “historic” look to every project. The architecture of the individual home helps guide what we preserve, restore, introduce and change.
Do you work with general contractors and architects during a historic renovation?
Yes. Studio Olio works collaboratively with general contractors, architects and other project professionals throughout the renovation process. We develop the interior design, space planning, material selections, custom cabinetry and millwork details, drawings and other design documentation, and remain involved through construction.
We work best with collaborative architects and general contractors who are experienced working alongside interior designers and understand the importance of carrying the design intent through construction.
Do you work on homes in Denver historic districts?
Yes. We can design renovations for homes within Denver’s historic districts. When Landmark Preservation review or other approvals apply to the scope of work, those requirements are considered as part of the design and project planning.
Your Historic Home Doesn’t Need to Become Someone Else’s House
The best historic renovations don’t erase the past, and they don’t recreate it room by room.
They allow the architecture of the house and the lives of the people living there now to coexist.
If you’re renovating a historic or architecturally distinctive home in Denver and want to preserve what makes it special while creating something personal, functional and distinctly yours, we’d love to hear about it.