Creating a home that feels open, airy, and spacious doesn’t always require adding square footage. In fact, one of the best ways to incorporate natural light and enhance the sense of openness is through thoughtful design choices that transform the space you already have.
This is exactly what Bekom Design in Cupertino, CA does when clients request a “bigger home” without expanding the footprint. As designer Revital Kaufman-Meron explains, every renovation starts with identifying the home’s potential: how to improve layout, increase natural lighting, and create flow before touching the structure.
Understanding How Natural Light Shapes a Home
Before diving into the project, it’s essential to understand why natural light in a house is such a powerful design tool.
Benefits of Natural Light
Homeowners increasingly look for ways to bring daylight deeper into their living spaces because natural lighting:
- makes rooms feel larger and more inviting
- boosts mood, productivity, and well-being
- reduces dependence on artificial lighting
- enhances interior finishes and material textures
- improves energy efficiency
- strengthens the connection between indoor and outdoor living
The best home designs maximize natural light and open space through features like skylights, picture windows, glass doors, thoughtful room placement, and reflective surfaces.
A Dark Ranch House Transformed Through Light and Open Space
Reimagining the Layout Without Adding Square Footage
Bekom Design’s clients owned a three-bedroom, three-bathroom ranch-style home that felt compartmentalized and dated. Their priorities were clear:
• A more open floor plan
• A larger, more functional kitchen
• Better natural lighting
• Improved connection to the backyard
Opening Up the Heart of the Home
Before: Enclosed and Cramped Spaces
At the front of the house sat an enclosed living room and a small kitchen and dining room separated by a narrow island. A few steps below was a rarely used family room with French doors facing the backyard.
After: Functional Flow With More Light
To improve both openness and lighting:
- The wall between the living room and kitchen was removed.
- The dining area was moved into the former family room, now a bright space overlooking the yard.
- A large custom kitchen island and bar area were added where the dining room used to be.
“Sometimes just flipping functions around is enough to make better use of the house,” says Revital.
This rearrangement created long sightliness and allowed light to travel freely through the main living areas, making the space feel significantly bigger.
Creating a Natural-Light-Focused Kitchen
The client worked closely with European Cabinets to select modern finishes that enhanced brightness and clean lines. If you want to have base and island cabinets, the Aran Cucine Faro collection is for you. While working on wall cabinets Bijou collection can be the one you need to have. Appliances: Miele , Countertops: Silestone quartz in Cemento and White Zeus. These finishes help reflect daylight, amplifying the airy feel of the new layout.
Designing Your Home for Maximum Natural Lighting
Inspired by principles used in daylight-optimized homes, Bekom Design carefully selected structural and design upgrades to increase natural illumination.
Removing the Dutch Gable Roof
The original Dutch gable roof was replaced with a flatter roofline that better suited the modern aesthetic and, importantly, allowed for the addition of multiple skylights.
They used a combination of LED strip lighting from Bellco USA and recessed LEDs on the ceiling, which provide ample ambient light with an appealing modern aesthetic.
Adding Skylights for Balanced, Even Daylighting
Skylights are one of the best ways to incorporate natural light, because they deliver consistent illumination throughout the day. Paired with LED strip lighting and recessed lights, they created a clean, modern look without overpowering the natural ambience.
Maximizing Window Wall Exposure
Large folding window walls were added in the dining area, connecting the indoors and outdoors while flooding the new dining room with natural light.
“Natural light is a very important design element. The house was very dark. Adding the natural light just transforms the space. It automatically makes it feel bigger than it really is,” Revital explains.
Improving the Home’s Entry and Functional Spaces
A Welcoming, Light-Filled Entry
The original entrance was located through a screened-in side porch. To create a more inviting and open feel, Bekom Design:
- Enclosed the porch and converted it into a bright home office
- Moved the front door to the true front of the house
- Built a stunning concrete staircase with natural wood railing and planters
“The original entry wasn’t very inviting. We wanted to create a more welcoming entry by combining the cement steps with the natural wood railing and planters,” says Revital.
Indoor Outdoor Flow: Extending Natural Light Beyond the Walls
One of the best ways to incorporate natural light is to ensure that indoor and outdoor spaces feel cohesive.
The clients wanted a functional backyard with a grill and seating area. To achieve this, the team:
- Designed a “fence-to-fence” deck to level the sloped yard
- Reimagined the planters with a mix of materials and plants
- Ensured visual harmony between interior finishes and exterior hardscape
“The inside and the outside have to have the same design aesthetics. We approach the hardscape in the same way we approach the house,” Revital explains.
With the large folding windows, the dining room now opens seamlessly to the backyard, creating an airy, resort-like atmosphere built around natural light.
The dining room opens up seamlessly to the backyard via large folding window walls. Photo: Rich Andersen/LucidPic
The dining room opens up seamlessly to the backyard via large folding window walls. Photo: Rich Andersen/LucidPic
A Clean, Modern Bathroom With Light as the Highlight
The master bathroom features:
- A BMT Bagni vanity from the Fly collection
- A Technoril countertop with molded sink, provided by European Cabinets
The monochromatic palette creates a spa-like feel, while natural and artificial lighting enhance the textures and sleek design.
Revital adds:
“The cleanliness of modern design offers a lot of opportunity to take full advantage of every square foot. When you’re working with a monochromatic palette, the accents should come from the furniture, because those can be changed easily.”
The master bath features a vanity from BMT Bagni’s Fly collection with a Technoril countertop and molded sink, provided by European Cabinets. Photo: Rich Andersen/LucidPic
The master bath features a vanity from BMT Bagni’s Fly collection with a Technoril countertop and molded sink, provided by European Cabinets. Photo: Rich Andersen/LucidPic
Key Takeaways: Designing a Home That Feels Larger Through Natural Light
This San Mateo renovation demonstrates how thoughtful design can dramatically enhance a home without expanding it:
How Natural Light Made the Greatest Impact
- Open floor plan = more light travel
- Skylights = balanced overhead daylight
- Large folding window walls = indoor–outdoor connection
- Reflective surfaces in kitchen and bath = amplified brightness
- Strategic room reallocation = smarter use of space
Ready to plan your kitchen? Download our kitchen design guide
