By Val Rasmussen | Photos by Adam Finkle

It brings everyone together,” says RSL’s Nick Rimando, explaining why his recently remodeled family kitchen is now the most prized room in his Harvard/Yale-area home.

Where once a peninsula counter separated an outdated kitchen from the adjacent living room, a new island opens the refreshed kitchen spatially, turning it and the nearby living room into a much-used, front-of-the-house gathering space. Here, kids do homework, the family watches TV, Rimando cooks up Taco Tuesdays and frequently pours his buddies spirits also served at Beer Bar, Bar X and The Eating Establishment—all of which he is a co-owner.

Rimando drove the room’s rustic-meets-modern redesign. Raw wood and exposed I-beams adorn the ceiling while driftwood-colored cabinets, black and white quartz countertops, small hex wall tiles and open shelves team to make the room a winner.

Dog bowls and shelves are built into the island’s end.
Steel I-beams serve as open shelving.
Small hex tile creatively spans the wall.
A motorized cabinet door operates on a single touch.

Can’t get enough of My Favorite Room? Check out: I’m Crazy About my Living Room

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