About Lora Frost — Studio Olio principal designer
Lora Frost is the principal designer of Studio Olio, a Denver-based interior design and renovation studio specializing in historic home renovations, kitchen design, and bathroom design.
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A couple of years ago, I walked into a big box store to buy electrical supplies for my shop build. At the end of our conversation, the woman in the electrical department shook my hand firmly and said, “thank you for doing women’s work.”
I continued through the store, balancing long conduit pieces on my shoulder, and made it to the checkout. The woman running the till said, “you sure are magical balancing all of that.”
Two women cheering me on, back to back, in a place where I usually get “do you know what you’re doing with all of that?” It was so far outside my ordinary experience that I made a Facebook post about it on the spot. Several years later, people still call me Magical Sparky.
I tell that story because it captures something true about this work — and why I do it the way I do.
Lora Frost during her own shop build. Please ignore the pink safety glasses, they were the only ones that fit.
How I got here
I didn’t come to this through a single path.
I came up through photography and fine art, added graphic design, and spent nearly a decade designing high-end residential and commercial landscapes in Vancouver, BC — working at a scale and level of complexity that reads as landscape architecture. Along the way I added certification as an organic master gardener and in irrigation design. That period taught me how to read a site, how to think about space from the outside in, and how outdoor and indoor environments inform each other.
From there I moved into interior design and renovation, adding formal training in residential design/build and hands-on construction work. I’ve done the work with my hands, and I know what it takes to build something correctly.
I’ve lived in Vancouver, BC, Texas, Louisiana, Virginia, Vermont, and Colorado — each place shaping how I think about space, climate, material, and what makes a home feel like somewhere you actually want to be.
Most of my work now is in historic home renovation in Denver — Victorians, Foursquares, Colonials, Craftsman bungalows — the houses built before 1960 that have an internal logic most people have stopped being able to read. I know what to touch and what to leave alone. Studio Olio is based in Denver, Colorado, working primarily in historic homes throughout the area, and we work remotely with those of you who are farther away.
Function first, always
I once lived in a beautiful historic home — twelve-foot ceilings, enormous windows, a primary bath that stopped people in their tracks. We moved in and discovered it didn’t actually fit us. The open plan had no doors, so there was no way to control sound or light from one room to the next. You couldn’t use the soaking tub without waking your partner. The space was beautiful, and it didn’t work.
That experience shaped everything about how I design. Function comes first. If a space doesn’t actually work in your daily life, it doesn’t matter how beautiful it is. Beauty comes after the fundamentals of how you use the space have been figured out.
One of my clients was nearly in tears, explaining that she’d moved into a beautiful new house and couldn’t figure out why she felt so uncomfortable in it. She was upset that she couldn’t identify the problem herself — but designing your own home is difficult, even for professional designers. What I found was that the previous owners had used multiple whites with different undertones, creating a subtle dissonance throughout every room. We chose a cohesive neutral palette, and the house finally felt like hers.
That’s the work I love most — listening carefully, figuring out why something isn’t working, and finding the solution that fits your specific life.
What working with me actually means
“This is definitely one of my top 3 reasons for hiring a Project Manager. I’ve managed 2 major renovations myself, and will NEVER do that again. Hire Lora, unequivocally.” – Client, Jennifer Wright
I’ve worked with hundreds of contractors over the past twenty years. I know what good work looks like, I know what the specifications should be, and I know when someone is hoping you don’t. I’ve had plumbers tell me something couldn’t be done, and then watched a different plumber do it correctly on the first try. I’ve had contractors install builder-grade millwork in a historic kitchen after we explicitly discussed matching the original profile — and then sourced the right millwork shop myself.
I decided early on that I never wanted my clients to go through what I went through on my own early renovations. When you work with Studio Olio, you have someone in your corner who knows enough to push back — and will. Someone who understands how a project should be built, not just how it should look.
During the early months of COVID, when material delays and permit backlogs were derailing projects everywhere, we completed a full kitchen relocation in a historic home. Here’s what the contractors said:
“Lora always made sure everyone was on the same page, from delays in permit approvals to making sure front doors were built with historical accuracy. She always made sure that everyone was part of a team, the clients, her handyman, Steve, us at Crux Scenica, and all the other contractors
even though a construction project during COVID-19 was an insane whirlwind. The tenacity that was needed for this project, during this difficult time, could not have been done if it wasn’t for her attention to detail, excellent managerial communication skills, coordination and for the kindness with which she leads.” – Christina Delli Santi
“Indeed 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.” – Joshua Bennett
Who I work with
Studio Olio works with individuals, couples, and families of all kinds. That said, I have a particular soft spot for women navigating renovation alone — whether that’s after a divorce, a loss, or simply because they’re the one driving the project and want someone in their corner who actually listens. Women still get the short end of the stick in construction more often than they should. I know that from twenty years of experience on both sides of it, and I’m not neutral about it.
If you’ve ever been talked over by a contractor, had someone address your partner instead of you, or been told something was impossible and suspected it wasn’t — you’ll find a straight answer here.
Beyond the work
I’m a wildlife photographer when I need to slow down, and I cut down trees and chop firewood when I need to speed up. I travel as locally as possible — less tourist trap, more living like someone who actually lives there. Boutique hotels that have attended to every detail make me unreasonably happy.
I have a border collie named Pai Mei and a flock of 8 chickens. I grow food and flowers — the garden is never finished, which suits me fine. I own more Fluevogs than is probably sensible
Colour, pattern, and bold statement areas bring me a lot of joy. So do quiet, considered spaces where everything is in its right place. I think we need both in our homes — and most homes don’t have nearly enough of either.
Ready to talk about your project? Get in touch →
Studio Olio works with homeowners in Denver and surrounding areas on historic home renovations, kitchen design, and full interior design projects.
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The best place to start is a short discovery call.
If you’re thinking about your own home, this is the right place to begin — we’ll talk through what you’re working with, what matters to you, and what it would actually take to get there. No pressure, just a clear sense of what’s possible.
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Browse recent projects or take a look at the design process to see how I work.
I design historic home renovations that feel like they’ve always been there — and actually work for how you live.