Steven Brabson attended Washington University in St. Louis, where he received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters in Architecture. After graduating, he worked with Adrian Luchini in St. Louis before moving to Los Angeles in 1997 to design and manage residential projects at Michael Maltzan and Associates.

He went on to work for Frank Gehry and Associates as part of the Weatherhead School of Business team, and then joined Gentile Harvey Architects as project designer, overseeing a number of interior design projects, including restaurants and spas. In 2005, he joined with former colleague, Frank Medrano, to form Franklin Studios.