If you go with a light grout, it will look good for maybe two minutes. It is very difficult in high-traffic areas to keep light grout looking light! I would leave what you have for now, and maybe in the future you might change out the tiles.
Yes ,your kitchen does look very dark and it doesn't help that the cabinets also dark. but it looks like a lovely kitchen and I would just concentrate on trying to get more lighting in that area.
I'm not a fan of the blue in the kitchen but maybe that's your choice and you like it.
I agree that the fireplace could use and updating with nicer tile. But, if you need to choose your battles with your DH, I would work on changing things in the kitchen first.
Congrats on your new home!

There are grout restorers out there. Grout is porous and they apply a product that sinks in. You can change the color too. I had mine done a few months ago and itâÂÂs so much easier to clean now. It is not horribly expensive to do and only takes a day. The fan in the kitchen is not doing any favors to the appearance. I would opt for a nice light for updating. About the fireplaceâ¦itâÂÂs really what your preference is. I like it but understand the vibrancy could be hard to decorate around. Me, I would figure out a way to make it work as is because about the time you change the whole thing the original look will be all the rage. Other than that your house is very pretty, maybe just add some nice area rugs in the kitchen and throughout. Down the road you might want to recess the frig a bit.

Compromise with DH: leave the grout, change the brick.

Undercabinet lighting is a great idea.

Congratulations on your beautiful new home!

I'm with hoovb. Leave grout, change brick. Painting the kitchen a warmer color will likely make you grout seem more attractive to you.

Agree with all the posters, I like the grout, and regret all the light grout I have ever put on a floor. I would paint the kitchen something more neutral with some color in accents like rugs. Wondering if you could keep the fan but change out the lights? I don't hate the brick on the fireplace, but it would be pretty painted if you don't want to spend a lot of money.

Thank you for all the congratulations ! We are very proud and love the home . Sadly the previous owner had different taste than us and we have to work with it . The cabinets would be lovely in a lighter kitchen , and there would be light if the covered deck wasn't off the kitchen . I really like the blue , never occurred to me it wasn't good ! Lol I did want a silver green in there but dh dosnt like green at all and we wanted the downstairs to flow together nicely .
About the fan ... The house has fans EveryWhere ! Two in our bedroom , 2, in living room , one in our master bath . They may have gotten a good deal on them ! Or were trying to keep cooling costs down . I do plan on replacing light above table. Also I never noticed how awful the fridge sticks out ! You really don't notice when you are here tho . The kitchen looks small online but is fairly big .
Does anyone else think rugs would compete with the grout ? That's what I'm thinking . I prefer a pattern on my rug and I feel like the floor is busy .

Wouldn't it be easier if we could just all visit each other in real life ? Lol I really think my pictures don't do the space justice . But I do recognize I am only half way finished .

The grout in a lighter color finish that sinks in and seals through a grout restorer is easy to clean even in the lighter tone. ItâÂÂs not like a regular porous light grout that sucks up grim.

I wouldn't change either.

I don't think lighter grout would make a huge difference, so I'd work with is as is.

I think the fpl is nice looking; there is a lot of junky brick out there and this is pretty nice. I would leave it as is, too.

Sorry if I'm no fun!

Lovely home! Paint the brick on the fireplace as a temporary, inexpensive fix. Replace light fixtures in kitchen. Add light colored backsplash. Maybe paint the kitchen some shade of yellow. Add brightly colored throw rugs to coordinate with new paint color and accents.

The reason your kitchen feels dark is because you have a very light color on the wall. Light colors reflect light, whereas dark colors absorb it. So, in a dark room, where there is no light to reflect back, light colors look dreary and drab.

The solution is to paint the walls and bright color that has depth to it. That will brighten the room up. This might give you an idea of what I mean.

Have the grout recolored. Get a different fan for the kitchen.

The small mosaic tile is not in keeping with the style of your fireplace surround. Either cover it in slabs of marble or just paint it white for the time being.

I think the tile is nice enough, but agree that the lighter grout would help the floor fade into the background and look fresh/new. You could have it regrouted with epoxy grout that doesn't stain, or look into the process jterrilyn recommends. As it is, it looks as if it could be light grout that's gotten dirty.

You could also add a lighter/brighter backsplash in the kitchen to lighten things up there, in addition to under/over cabinet lighting. I agree that a different light fixture, sans fan would open up the space, but you might want to live through a summer, tho' before removing fans. Maybe they are necessary to keep the home comfy?

I might think about facing the raised hearth with wood and leave a bit of the brick. Or add wood and paint it all.

You could add wood, soften the brick with a wash and add a tile to the hearth, something like this:

Congrats on your new home.

This post was edited by olychick on Thu, Oct 9, 14 at 14:00

You don't have to regrout to change the grout color. They have grout stain that does a nice job. I used it on similar tile in a bathroom in our former house. Never had a problem with it in the 12 years that we lived there. However, your grout doesn't bother me.

I agree with others about the blue paint. I like blue and have a blue and white kitchen, but in your case a warm taupe paint may lessen the high contrast that the blue creates both in your kitchen and in the family room. I really think that your kitchen needs more lighting though. The cabinets are lovely.

The family room needs a focal point; now the TV and the sofa are black holes. A nice, large, patterned area rug in front of the sofa would do wonders in that room. I would paint the brick the same shade as the carpet or a darker version of it.

The house has great potential; I see why you love it!
Diane

could you install a solar tube in the kitchen to add more natural light?

Let's see:

a)Kitchen:

1)Yes -- under-cabinet lighting would work. Also: add a short round silver lamp to the far right-hand-corner for a quick fix (measure the height of the space carefully) Also: add a set of long string lights (those tiny LED type lighting in a tube) across the top of the cabinets

2)Add one larger area rug to the prep area ..... keep it neutral with a bit of blue to "spread" the wall color around the space

3)I will be the dissenting voice on the wall color -- perhaps consider a simple fresh bright white on the walls -- to blend in with the ceiling and trim -- and create a more visually cohesive look .....right now you have dark brown cabinets; bright white trim and ceiling; pale blue walls; creamy taupe counters and floors ....so switching to white walls would help to "calm and brighten" the area .... JUST a thought!

B)Tile Floor:

1)Tile/grout: If you lighten it -- then there is a lot of upkeep ..... so if you DO lighten it -- simply go for a lighter shade of taupe that would match the tile -- and create a single visual cohesive surface ......

C)Fireplace:

1)Yes -- whitewash the brick to work with the colors of the shelving ..... then add darkest brown baskets to the lower shelves to work with the color of the sectional AND try to hide the TV components in the baskets .....

3)On the top shelves of the bookshelves -- add simple plain white ironstone pieces -- like a matching large platter (on a clear stand) on each side .... for symmetry and visual balance .....

I really like your house. I would not change the grout. I would get some colorful rugs for the kitchen and change the lights on the fan, if possible. (I have the same fan and wish I could change the lights). Under counter lights would help also. As for the fireplace. I think you have too much contrast between the dark brick and the light colored mantel/uprights. I think I would paint the brick a beige like your ceiling. You could put a thin piece of marble/granite/sort hard surface on the "hearth...sit down area" if you need it.....something to coordinate with the painted brick.

Lily- Hi! Your house is very nice and I know you will reflect the same wonderful taste you had in your garden :)

I have a question...why not paint the cabinets a warm white? It would match the fireplace shelves and tie the spaces together. It would also be MUCH brighter, since the daylight would bounce around the room.

Maybe you can post this on the kitchen forum? I think you would get many ideas there, too. Have fun with the house!

You have a lovely home, I know you are very proud of it. Those cabinets are dark but beautiful. I think the kitchen would look terrific with under cabinet LED strip lights and adding another strip on top of the cabinets reflecting up towards the ceiling would also add plenty of indirect light for very few watts. We used a handmade, glossy tile on our back splash (Winchester) the irregular surface reflects light in a bright pattern and it really lightens things up.

You have a lovely home, I know you are very proud of it. Those cabinets are dark but beautiful. I think the kitchen would look terrific with under cabinet LED strip lights and adding another strip on top of the cabinets reflecting up towards the ceiling would also add plenty of indirect light for very few watts. We used a handmade, glossy tile on our back splash (Winchester) the irregular surface reflects light in a bright pattern and it really lightens things up.