Parkhill Smith & Cooper



            Parkhill Smith & Cooper (PSC) is a full-service design firm that provides engineering and architectural design primarily in the public sector or with public entities. Such include municipal infrastructure, education, healthcare, and transportation. PSC was established in 1945 in Lubbock. They have other locations in Amarillo, El Paso, Midland//Odessa, and Las Cruces. PSC currently has a staff of over 250 professional, technical, and support personnel. Parkhill Smith & Cooper promotes sustainability and green design. PSC is LEED certified due to their sustainable designs. PSC is consistently ranked among the Top 500 Design Firms in the United States.

            John Bard is an employee of Parkhill Smith & Cooper who showed us around the building. He told us about his story as a designer. He is a graduate of the Interior Design Program. He first graduated with a degree in architecture then he went back to school to get a degree in interior design. He talked about sustainable design and sustainable materials. He then showed us around the building.

            The two buildings of Parkhill Smith & Cooper have an industrial look that has a sustainable design. They have a sock ventilation system that collapses at night when it is not in use. They also have dry erase wall paint with a level five sheet rock in the conference rooms. They also have acoustical tile made out of recycled paper content. In the conference rooms there are also fabric boards that are sustainable and self-extinguishing.

            Parkhill Smith & Cooper is a company that has joined the green revolution of sustainable design. This green revolution is involving and many design companies are joining. Green design is a way to help our environment and helps us to live a better, healthier life.



Jeff Seal Homes of Distinction

            Jeff Seal Homes of Distinction designs and builds homes in an innovative way. They do all of their own concepts and designs. This includes performing the entire design process and creating custom made furniture and re-upholstery, and using authentic materials. Abby Carter is one of the designers who works with Jeff Seal and the rest of his team. She is a graduate of the Texas Tech Interior Design program. She designed a house that had a French influence throughout the home.

            Abby Carter designed the custom front doors with an intricate French style design. When walking into the house, you see a groin vault and a small chandelier in the entry way. When stepping outside into the courtyard, one sees an outdoor fireplace and a fountain that will be placed there. Up on the roof of the house, authentic clay tile is used. Inside are oak wood floors that are hand scraped with a flush look and fireplaces that are uniquely and originally designed. These characteristics produce harmony between the inside and the outside of the house.

            In the kitchen are custom cabinets and a custom vent. Jeff Seal is using the client’s table but refinishing it so that it goes with the rest of the house. The kitchen also has a bar top and a farmhouse sink. They are working on getting the light fixtures over the bar top to match with the French influence of the house.

            The chandeliers that are used throughout the house are by Currey Company. The windows are especially designed with a French influence and a Gothic arch sunburst pattern. These custom-made starburst windows are found in the formal dining room. The windows even go with the chandelier used in the formal dining room.

            The railing on the staircase is custom. It is stained for an aged look, and it has iron detail which makes it authentic. The hallway upstairs has a barrel ceiling, making the hallway open and airy. The doors have a customized trim work, except for the doors that lead into the theater room. There is one bedroom that has a 16’ ceiling and windows that crank out and lead out onto a small balcony that can be used for planting pots and flowers. The master bathroom has heated floors while the closet is a safe room with a steel door.

            This house costs close to a million dollars. This French house is custom built for the clients who asked them to build this house. Although Jeff Seal Homes of Distinction does custom work, they also sell houses during the construction process and some after completion. Jeff Seal designs houses that are mostly European influenced or “old world”. Jeff Seal is one of the few who does the entire design process. His beautiful homes will last for a long time and will continue to pop up around the Lubbock area and other cities.

Collins Tile and Stone

            Collins Tile and Stone is a place where you can buy many different types of tile and stone for your flooring, countertops, and walls. They have been doing tile since 1984 and stone since 1987-88. They bring in many types of different stone from all over the world including Norway, Brazil, and other foreign places.

            Their primary stone that they sell is granite. It has become very popular in the past few years. Granite is an igneous rock made from molten formations. The granite rock is created from cooling under heat and pressure. Some granite has movement. The different minerals create the different colors found in granite. Granite comes from all over the world. Granite is typically used in kitchen applications. There are several different finishes such as a polish finish. Due to new technology, a leather finish has been created and used.

            Another popular stone is marble. Marble is a metamorphic rock that. Under heat and pressure, rock is transformed into marble. Marble has a vein look. It is softer than granite, easier to scratch, and absorbent. Marble is typically used in bathroom applications and sometimes kitchens.

            Travertine is a stone typically used for flooring. It is usually cut into tiles. Travertine has little holes in it that have to be filled before used.

            Limestone is a stone that is seabed based. Limestone is used for tile and countertops. It has a loose granular look to it. Sometimes you can even find fossils embedded into the limestone!

            Cambria® is a domestic manufacturer that sells countertop material. They sell countertops that look like different types of stone, but it isn’t really stone. They even have countertops with movement and color in them.

            Corian® is a solid surface material that’s plastic. It is typically used in food service and hospital applications because it is a sanitary top. A chemical welding process is what makes Corian®. Corian® is a seamless countertop. It was very popular in the late 80’s, early 90’s, and used a lot, including in homes.

            All these different types of countertop and stone material are all very good to use in your homes and even commercial use. The stones that Collins Tile and Stone sell come in so many different types and colors.