Bringing the Stage to Santa Barbara Homes

With the artistic eye of SBCC professor and theater scenic and lighting designer Pat Frank and the Santa Barbara real-estate prowess of Pat Costello, a new home staging business, PLF Studios, was recently born.

After 25 years of marriage, the Pats teamed up to stage residences in Santa Barbara, whether to ready them for the market or give them a new life.

The venture began with Costello intermittently enlisting help from Frank to set up properties that she was showing potential homebuyers. What started as a small project that converted into a successful sale eventually evolved into an actual business, combining Frank’s design talents and Costello’s real estate knowledge to enliven Santa Barbara homes.

The process begins with Frank and Costello working closely with a homeowner or real estate agent. They walk through the property and consider both the interior and exterior in gauging the client’s needs to sell or live in the house.

Frank and Costello then make an assessment together that begins with decluttering and shipping items away to be moved, and then discussing their own vision for the space.

They present this vision to the client or client’s representative through a design proposal. This way, clients can see what design materials are required and what the space will look like in a real rendering.

[Click to enlarge] A Before and After design from P.L.F. Studios | Photo: Courtesy

Costello has a lot of experience in this field, having been a real estate agent for more than 10 years in the Santa Barbara area. She describes the enduring importance of staging the home that converts into notable sales.

“The better staged the home, the more money the seller is gonna get, regardless of the market,” Costello said.

Frank, an Indy Award winner for her work with SBCC Theatre Group, has a unique approach to her craft, with her experience working on the theater stage translating into a distinct method for staging in the home.

“Pat has always handled my listings not to stage like a stager does,” Costello said.

Traditionally, stagers clear out a space and bring in neutral-toned furniture, due to the generally held belief that buyers will be overwhelmed and therefore deterred from buying homes when presented with too much color.

“But I actually operate slightly differently, because as a set designer, I have learned that the way to engage your audience is to bring them into the composition of the setting, and I use pops of color to do that,” Frank said. “When they walk into the room, they’re drawn to a colorful pillow or a colorful piece of artwork. This pulls them into the room, and they think it is a cool space.”

[Click to enlarge] A Before and After design from P.L.F. Studios | Photo: Courtesy

After 40 years of working in the theater, Frank has mastered directing the audience’s focus where it is needed. She harnesses the same visual directions when staging homes, making sure buyers can see the potential of the space.

Frank also works closely with homeowners to include some of their own pieces of furniture so that they do not have to empty everything out, and provides a more personal touch to the home.

PLF Studios is making a mark “trying to elevate the value of the properties through smart, bold, and colorful design,” said Frank.

For those who are just looking to refresh their homes, PLF Studios offers services that reinvigorate existing spaces. Between reorganizing rooms, installing new floors, and recoating paint, Costello and Frank breathe new life into spaces.

[Click to enlarge] A Before and After design from P.L.F. Studios | Photo: Courtesy

The business has also breathed new life into their relationship. Being business collaborators and partners, this endeavor has allowed the Pats to shine in their own ways and combine forces to render a meaningful and lucrative product.

“I take all my cues from [Costello] because she is in the industry. She has the business sense,” said Frank. “I’m the artist.”

Costello described her amazement with Frank’s artistic talent in the way that she is able to transform spaces.

“Every time she works on a project with me, it blows my mind. The transformation is really stunning and it gets to your heart,” said Costello.

Costello and Frank plan on building their team to eventually become an umbrella academy for future designers who have a creative vision and a knack for staging. With the longtime experience of being a professor, Frank will mentor aspiring stagers to expand the business.

“Pat [Frank] is the strength of the business. ‘PLF’ means Patricia L. Frank; she is the product that we’re selling,” Costello said. “After this, it’s gonna be the team. The goal is to pass it onto other designers.”

For now, the two are looking to stage more homes in Santa Barbara and beyond, with no project being too big or small.To set up a consultation with the team, visit plfdesignstudios.com.