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Pro Spotlight: 3 Ways to Customize Your Kitchen
A Bay Area design-build duo shares its top tips to make your kitchen a dynamic center of activity
Sponsored Content
Who: Kelly Funk and David Wampler of CAGE Design Build
Where: San Jose, California
In Funk’s own words: “We both love the relationships we have with our clients and seeing a full project come to life.”
Whether it’s a relaxing refuge to sip your coffee or a frenetic scene of fast-moving meal prep, your kitchen is probably the hub of your home life. “The kitchen brings the family together,” says Kelly Funk, the lead designer and co-owner of CAGE Design Build in San Jose. “It’s the space where everyone gathers before the day starts and as it ends.” With co-owner Dave Wampler, CAGE’s lead contractor, the residential design-build firm delivers creative, highly customized kitchens that totally suit their clients’ busy lives.
Where: San Jose, California
In Funk’s own words: “We both love the relationships we have with our clients and seeing a full project come to life.”
Whether it’s a relaxing refuge to sip your coffee or a frenetic scene of fast-moving meal prep, your kitchen is probably the hub of your home life. “The kitchen brings the family together,” says Kelly Funk, the lead designer and co-owner of CAGE Design Build in San Jose. “It’s the space where everyone gathers before the day starts and as it ends.” With co-owner Dave Wampler, CAGE’s lead contractor, the residential design-build firm delivers creative, highly customized kitchens that totally suit their clients’ busy lives.
Coming together for a common goal. Wampler, who has worked in construction from an early age, began his career in cabinetry before becoming a contractor and project manager. Funk, who had always loved art and interior design, was drawn to residential design during her college internships. “You’re working one-on-one with a client to create a space that brings their ideas to life,” she says.
Wampler and Funk combined their business expertise in CAGE Design Build in 2009, named using the first letter of each of their children’s names. “We started the business as we were both raising our families,” Funk says. “It follows that our designs follow the same goal — to make a home for our clients and their families.”
Wampler and Funk combined their business expertise in CAGE Design Build in 2009, named using the first letter of each of their children’s names. “We started the business as we were both raising our families,” Funk says. “It follows that our designs follow the same goal — to make a home for our clients and their families.”
Building relationships with consistency and reliability. As a design-build firm, Wampler and Funk work with their clients from the earliest conversations to a project’s detail-oriented execution. “Our clients get to know both of us from day one,” Wampler says. “It’s a highlight for our clients that they’re never handed off to someone they don’t know.” With Funk walking through design details and Wampler verifying what’s possible, trust is established at the outset. “Our subcontractors, some of whom we’ve been working with for over 25 years, are hand-selected,” Wampler says. “Our clients won’t have strangers in their homes. Instead we’re all part of this working family.”
Ready to renovate your kitchen to suit your lifestyle? Funk and Wampler share their tips below.
Ready to renovate your kitchen to suit your lifestyle? Funk and Wampler share their tips below.
1. Start by Solving Your Problem Areas
When renovating your kitchen, you’ll naturally consider what you’d love to have. But it’s just as important to think about what isn’t serving you now. “You know what doesn’t work in your kitchen,” Funk says. “I learned early on to listen to the client to key in on what their current issues are. Helping them find those problem areas allows us to find the best solution.”
This Sunnyvale kitchen is laid out around a large island, complete with cooktop, range hood and quartz countertop, so multiple family members can use the space during a busy morning or evening. Light wood floating shelves offer easy access to some of the family’s most commonly used items. Plentiful storage is also available in the custom maple cabinetry, which is finished in a deep blue on the lower units and crisp white on the uppers.
See more of this project
When renovating your kitchen, you’ll naturally consider what you’d love to have. But it’s just as important to think about what isn’t serving you now. “You know what doesn’t work in your kitchen,” Funk says. “I learned early on to listen to the client to key in on what their current issues are. Helping them find those problem areas allows us to find the best solution.”
This Sunnyvale kitchen is laid out around a large island, complete with cooktop, range hood and quartz countertop, so multiple family members can use the space during a busy morning or evening. Light wood floating shelves offer easy access to some of the family’s most commonly used items. Plentiful storage is also available in the custom maple cabinetry, which is finished in a deep blue on the lower units and crisp white on the uppers.
See more of this project
2. Find Ways to More Efficiently Use Your Space
Sometimes you simply need more space. But that extra room can be found in many different ways. “You don’t always need to add square footage,” Funk says. “When we sit down to discuss what’s working and what isn’t, we’ll come up with four or five different concepts for the space to figure out how it will flow best.”
At this Mountain View home, Funk, Wampler and the homeowners ultimately decided to start again from the foundation to create the most suitable kitchen environment. The kitchen now features abundant storage and space to cook, chat and circulate, as well as several activity centers that work in concert, like a coffee and tea station and a bar area complete with wine fridge.
See more of this project
Sometimes you simply need more space. But that extra room can be found in many different ways. “You don’t always need to add square footage,” Funk says. “When we sit down to discuss what’s working and what isn’t, we’ll come up with four or five different concepts for the space to figure out how it will flow best.”
At this Mountain View home, Funk, Wampler and the homeowners ultimately decided to start again from the foundation to create the most suitable kitchen environment. The kitchen now features abundant storage and space to cook, chat and circulate, as well as several activity centers that work in concert, like a coffee and tea station and a bar area complete with wine fridge.
See more of this project
3. Design to Who You Are and How You Maneuver
We all use our spaces differently, even if those differences are slight. “You have to design to how an individual or family uses their space,” Funk says. “Do they work from left to right or right to left? Do they want to spread out across an uninterrupted counter or want dedicated space for certain tasks?”
This Morgan Hill kitchen is completely customized to the client’s unique uses. “It’s jam-packed with special details,” Funk says. “There’s a baking center with custom pullouts, tables that roll out for room to work and even a spot for sprinkles storage.” The dishwasher is hidden by panels to the left of the sink, the range is equipped with a hidden hood and there’s a custom spice drawer that pulls out to the left of the range for ease of cooking. Anything and everything the homeowner might reach for is at hand.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Kelly Funk and David Wampler and examples of their work, visit CAGE Design Build’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
We all use our spaces differently, even if those differences are slight. “You have to design to how an individual or family uses their space,” Funk says. “Do they work from left to right or right to left? Do they want to spread out across an uninterrupted counter or want dedicated space for certain tasks?”
This Morgan Hill kitchen is completely customized to the client’s unique uses. “It’s jam-packed with special details,” Funk says. “There’s a baking center with custom pullouts, tables that roll out for room to work and even a spot for sprinkles storage.” The dishwasher is hidden by panels to the left of the sink, the range is equipped with a hidden hood and there’s a custom spice drawer that pulls out to the left of the range for ease of cooking. Anything and everything the homeowner might reach for is at hand.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Kelly Funk and David Wampler and examples of their work, visit CAGE Design Build’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
CAGE Design Build is an award winning residential design/remodeling and construction firm located in San Jose and... Read More
Review by HU-571570726:
Dave and Kelly remodeled our home in San Jose last year. They were great, kept us informed from start to finish. Their crew was friendly and professional and kept our home in order as much as one can...More