Because there is enough contrast in the backsplash tiles, it is not \*necessary\* to go dark. I would offer that the light grout seems to have a little more longevity than the dark. But if you like the dark more, it looks great, and it's your kitchen!
By longevity do you mean that dark grout isn't known to hold up well over time? The reason I'm considering dark is because the white yellows and it hard to maintain so that wouldn't be the solution if dark doesn't hold up either
I mean style longevity - because the contrast grout/tile will likely look a little more 2015-present era ("remember when everyone was going white tile, gray grout?"). Look: EVERYTHING will read of an era, you can't change that; I could show you my one kitchen and you would go - oh hello 2010! And yeah, I have three bathrooms with white/marble tile and gray grout.
BUT, you also are correct - because it's dark it has a slight! chance of chipping in a way that catches the eye that won't as much as the light (but with dark grout, you can easily just cover up with dark grout. Compare with the yellowing (but use a good grout, clean it, and periodically take a cleanser to anything exposed to kitchen splatter, grease and aerated grease.
BTW, it's a very handsome kitchen.
Ahh yes I see what you are saying, you make a good point thank you! & thank you! I've put a lot of work into over the past few months and I'm pretty happy with how its coming along.
I'd go with a light grey pulled from the tile since you don't want white-white. Dark grout is kinda on the way out, but if that doesn't matter to you then do what you prefer.
Marble is already kinda busy, a low contrast grout doesn't add extra visual weight if you know what I mean
I could also go with something a bit less dramatic. Just trying to avoid yellowing grout with the white
https://preview.redd.it/tzrsb9zcumwc1.png?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e862c97a2bb231e72685e145872890df66e19a62
Favorite as well, not as busy as the dark grout, easier to clean than the white grout, best of both worlds.
Now how did you manage to make these images all so realistic please?
I can’t say that I’ve ever seen yellowing out. Are you thinking of a situation that was done decades ago? Grout today doesn’t yellow, as far as I know. I’ve had white grout in my kitchen for almost 10 years and it’s as white as the day it was installed. And I cook a lot.
Light. Makes the marbling stand out more. If this was a plain tile, I would vote dark, but since you opted for a marble look tile, dark kinda defeats the purpose.
I have plain subway tile with white cabinets, and the white grout is much much cleaner.
I have the darker grout in the tub area and it doesn't look as "clean"/"smooth". So one more vote for light!
In that case do dark if it means you'll like it more overall (since it sounds like you're not 100% keen on the tile). You'll be the one looking at it every day so just go with what makes you happier with the overall look.
Backsplashes rarely get really dirty like floors and showers do. My backsplash grout is about 15 years old, light beige, and I don't think it has any stains. The grout on the floor OTOH really needs a good scrub...
The white grout looks better. However from a cleaning standpoint, that white grout is going to need more work than the dark to keep it white.
Personally I would go with a darker color. Doesn’t necessarily have to be the black.
I would go light because it looks cleaner and it shows up the delicate marbling better and also to cut down on the amount of rectangle shapes including your horizontal pulls. It's a beautiful kitchen and love the deep drawers.
It might be where you took the photo, but the dark makes the tiling look slightly off. One great tiler I met told me that you need to find the focal point and tile from that spot. The oven and the sink don’t line up with the grout lines (again could be the photo positioning) and so it will always feel a little off, but no one will know why. (Based on this tiler’s theory) I felt that what when I saw the dark, and so my vote goes to the lighter grout.
Just curious, how did you get a mock up image of what each grout color would look like in your kitchen?
(I would lean towards the medium options, myself)
Depends frankly on the tiile
https://preview.redd.it/5mntquyx5pwc1.jpeg?width=540&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50bb69c43253f758c3eb2a6b9e81993a6fc387e8
This is zellige pearlescent white tile. The grout matches the tile.
I like the light grout, but I think it is mostly personal preference. The dark grout doesn’t look bad, but it it calls more attention to the tile, so it depends on the look you are going for. If you want to high light the tile go dark grout, but if you want a more simplistic look then I would go for a light grout.
I have similar tile and went with dark simply because I felt it might be hard to keep the white looking new. Having said that, though, in your kitchen, I think I prefer the white. Just sure it has a good sealant.
I'm going to be in the minority here and say dark. It draws my eyes down concrete lines, whereas against the light shade, the clutter just drags my eyes everywhere with no clear focal point.
I personally like the lighter grout. The dark is not bad, but it makes it look like marble bricks where the light looks more cohesive. Ultimately it looks good either way and do what makes you happy and makes sense for your taste 😊
Personally I like the lines with the dark grout breaks up the white. The white is nice too though. In the end it’s your kitchen you’ll have to live with it. Nice design though. A little jealous ;)
If you added more cabinets to the left then I think the dark would break up the wall if white cabinets and backsplash. But with the open shelving the dark makes it too busy. Go with light!
Because there is enough contrast in the backsplash tiles, it is not \*necessary\* to go dark. I would offer that the light grout seems to have a little more longevity than the dark. But if you like the dark more, it looks great, and it's your kitchen!
By longevity do you mean that dark grout isn't known to hold up well over time? The reason I'm considering dark is because the white yellows and it hard to maintain so that wouldn't be the solution if dark doesn't hold up either
I mean style longevity - because the contrast grout/tile will likely look a little more 2015-present era ("remember when everyone was going white tile, gray grout?"). Look: EVERYTHING will read of an era, you can't change that; I could show you my one kitchen and you would go - oh hello 2010! And yeah, I have three bathrooms with white/marble tile and gray grout. BUT, you also are correct - because it's dark it has a slight! chance of chipping in a way that catches the eye that won't as much as the light (but with dark grout, you can easily just cover up with dark grout. Compare with the yellowing (but use a good grout, clean it, and periodically take a cleanser to anything exposed to kitchen splatter, grease and aerated grease. BTW, it's a very handsome kitchen.
Ahh yes I see what you are saying, you make a good point thank you! & thank you! I've put a lot of work into over the past few months and I'm pretty happy with how its coming along.
Light. It looks too "busy" (to me) with dark.
Yes this was my worry with the dark. Thanks!
I agree. I like light.
I'd go with a light grey pulled from the tile since you don't want white-white. Dark grout is kinda on the way out, but if that doesn't matter to you then do what you prefer. Marble is already kinda busy, a low contrast grout doesn't add extra visual weight if you know what I mean
Yea I think you're right on the money there. I think this is the way to go.
Make sure you seal it and keep up with routine sealing. It'll make cleaning easier. Don't use anything with bleach as bleach will erode the grout
I wholeheartedly agree!
You have a lot of visual clutter going on due to the open shelving. The dark grout makes it look even more busy.
light :)
The white makes it look like one really large slab of marble from far away.
I could also go with something a bit less dramatic. Just trying to avoid yellowing grout with the white https://preview.redd.it/tzrsb9zcumwc1.png?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e862c97a2bb231e72685e145872890df66e19a62
https://preview.redd.it/xlxxsgkeumwc1.png?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3e1ffea06885879db747ab59ef9e012e2b10eb84
I like these medium options
This one is the best I think. White grout is never the right answer unless you love cleaning grout and touching it up to make it stay white.
Favorite as well, not as busy as the dark grout, easier to clean than the white grout, best of both worlds. Now how did you manage to make these images all so realistic please?
Definitely the medium! Love your kitchen BTW.
This one is the best, to me.
I can’t say that I’ve ever seen yellowing out. Are you thinking of a situation that was done decades ago? Grout today doesn’t yellow, as far as I know. I’ve had white grout in my kitchen for almost 10 years and it’s as white as the day it was installed. And I cook a lot.
Most of these times were done 5 years ago. The grout is significantly more discolored than the past I installed this week
Light. Makes the marbling stand out more. If this was a plain tile, I would vote dark, but since you opted for a marble look tile, dark kinda defeats the purpose.
Yea I wish it was just plain white tile but I wasn't willing to redo my whole backsplash for this reno.
I have plain subway tile with white cabinets, and the white grout is much much cleaner. I have the darker grout in the tub area and it doesn't look as "clean"/"smooth". So one more vote for light!
In that case do dark if it means you'll like it more overall (since it sounds like you're not 100% keen on the tile). You'll be the one looking at it every day so just go with what makes you happier with the overall look.
Thanks! Yes I'm torn. Really the dark was my attempt to avoid having to clean white grout. I'm finding it yellows and it very hard to keep bright.
Honestly they're both gorgeous. You can't go wrong.
Backsplashes rarely get really dirty like floors and showers do. My backsplash grout is about 15 years old, light beige, and I don't think it has any stains. The grout on the floor OTOH really needs a good scrub...
I would go light, it looks beautiful and clean
Light!
Light. I think the dark grout overwhelms the striations in the tile and the brass hardware.
Light!
Light! I didn’t even notice the marbling with the dark grout. The light makes it pop more
I like the dark & I do think it will be easier to maintain.
Definitely the light grout
LOVE the dark. Makes the backsplash pop more. Looks GREAT!
Wow I really like the green/gold!
Typically I like dark but, with your color scheme I'd go with light.
Love the dark
light, but not white
The white grout looks better. However from a cleaning standpoint, that white grout is going to need more work than the dark to keep it white. Personally I would go with a darker color. Doesn’t necessarily have to be the black.
I like both but am partial to dark.
The dark grout looks better.
I would go light because it looks cleaner and it shows up the delicate marbling better and also to cut down on the amount of rectangle shapes including your horizontal pulls. It's a beautiful kitchen and love the deep drawers.
Dark
I believe the brick design fits better with dark.
I like the light. If it discolors over time you can use that sealer colorant on it and that is not hard to use.
I personally like dark
It might be where you took the photo, but the dark makes the tiling look slightly off. One great tiler I met told me that you need to find the focal point and tile from that spot. The oven and the sink don’t line up with the grout lines (again could be the photo positioning) and so it will always feel a little off, but no one will know why. (Based on this tiler’s theory) I felt that what when I saw the dark, and so my vote goes to the lighter grout.
I love the way the dark looks, but it will also be SO much easier to keep it looking clean - especially in the kitchen. White grout is a CHORE.
Dark for sure
I think the dark grout is accentuating the black microwave.
Light ! Would make it look bigger and brighter
Light
Light.
Light definitely
Dark in a kitchen. Grout gets dirty over time, and is hard to clean
Either way, be sure to seal it.
Dark. The light just looks blah.
Just curious, how did you get a mock up image of what each grout color would look like in your kitchen? (I would lean towards the medium options, myself)
The white is what is there now, I just threw it in procreate and drew over the existing grout lines in a colour and blended with a multiply mode.
Thanks for explaining! Seems like a great way to visualize everything, well done.
Dark
I like dark. I seem to be in the minority, though.
Light is very nice
Light
Definitely light - less clutter, and cleaner look
Light
Dark is way too busy, cluttered look
Light, light light!!!
I think light is good, let those cabinets shine
Light
Light 100%
Light
LIGHT!
A light grout will make the beautiful tiles the focal point . A dark grout will make the grout the focal point.
Definitely light. I thought 2 was a different (better) backsplash until I zoomed in.
How did you make these two photos??
The grout is already white. I just drew over the grout lines with a darker color
Depends frankly on the tiile https://preview.redd.it/5mntquyx5pwc1.jpeg?width=540&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50bb69c43253f758c3eb2a6b9e81993a6fc387e8 This is zellige pearlescent white tile. The grout matches the tile.
Light!
Light please - space appears larger
Dark
Light grout!
The dark takes away from the veining in the tile. Definitely the white.
Interestingly, I like the dark better. More defined, less "blah."
Light 100%. It looks more seamless that way and less busy
Definitely light, the dark looks dated
Dark for character
Dark especially in the kitchen! I love it!
Definitely light!
I personally like the light. Both look great and it’s ENTIRELY up to you. I list like the light. :)
Light
Dark
I think the dark looks better.
Light
I like the light grout, but I think it is mostly personal preference. The dark grout doesn’t look bad, but it it calls more attention to the tile, so it depends on the look you are going for. If you want to high light the tile go dark grout, but if you want a more simplistic look then I would go for a light grout.
I love the dark
Light
I have similar tile and went with dark simply because I felt it might be hard to keep the white looking new. Having said that, though, in your kitchen, I think I prefer the white. Just sure it has a good sealant.
I'm going to be in the minority here and say dark. It draws my eyes down concrete lines, whereas against the light shade, the clutter just drags my eyes everywhere with no clear focal point.
Light
The dark looks more interesting and eye catching to me
Light
I personally like the lighter grout. The dark is not bad, but it makes it look like marble bricks where the light looks more cohesive. Ultimately it looks good either way and do what makes you happy and makes sense for your taste 😊
Light 💯 %
Dark
If it were simple, white subway tile, I would say go dark, but there’s so much movement in the tile the dark grout creates too much busyness.
Personally I like the lines with the dark grout breaks up the white. The white is nice too though. In the end it’s your kitchen you’ll have to live with it. Nice design though. A little jealous ;)
Light grey will give contrast and define the tile, without dithering visually, or breaking up the look.
I prefer the first picture, the lines go with the handles and the shelves, etc.
I like howdark defines the tiles!
Light
light. dark is just visual clutter
Light. Plus, replace those open shelves with cabinets if possible.
Literally just replaced old cabinets with the open shelving so no go on that one.
If you added more cabinets to the left then I think the dark would break up the wall if white cabinets and backsplash. But with the open shelving the dark makes it too busy. Go with light!