Pic of my kitchen. The counters are really more of a taupe color.

A close up.

This is a picture of my countertop during daylight. Amazing the color difference!

So so pretty harleysbud!!! I can't comment on the grout color but I absolutely love your subway tile in a herringbone pattern. I also want to do subway tile but DH hates it (he grew up in NYC and doesn't want to be reminded of a urine soaked subway station when he walks into his kitchen- yes- his words!) so I have to get creative. Planning to show him your design as well as some penny tiles- hoping he likes one or the other!!!

Can't wait to see your finished kitchen!

The grout in your inspiration pic looks like a very light silver. Have your tiler make you a couple of samples with a few different colors. Pretty countertop. What is it?

I like what you did with the tiles.
Talk to your tile person on grout options that are easy to clean.
Dark grout will make it look checkerboard and might detract from the overall effect.
I think you can go with something close to your cabinet color but work with tiler.
I thought I wanted a bit darker than the tiles and tile guy put some in with a few extra tiles and I hated it.
Can't wait to see the rest of your kitchen.

My tile guy assured me that I would love gray grout (medium gray given my tile color)... to my surprise I did (pretty and easy maintenance) and you might too (although with white and taupe, I'd go light to silver gray). Be sure to have the grout sealed to preserve whatever color you choose, and calendar re-sealing based on the manufacturer's instructions.

ViennaMommy: Hopefully I'll have the pics up soon. It's been 1.5 years and some challenges along the way. I can't wait to show the before and after pics...such a huge transformation of the original space.

Romy: Quartz material by http://www.eterniaquartz.com/Designer_Series/07-Mocha_Slate.html and installed by an unnamed company that I wouldn't let my worst enemy order from. It wipes clean enough, however it does spot and needs to be buffed out with a microfiber cloth more than I thought. When the sunlight comes through you can really see the streaks/spots. Who knew! But I do like the clean look of it.

@2gemini & practigal: my installer is a retired older man and thinks the grout should match the countertop. I am looking more at the Alabaster for the lighter color (which would be hard to keep clean) or Canvas/Quartz for the darker tones..these are colors from Polyblend Grout.

I love your inspiration pic! It's mine too. I like the size of your tile. I'm such a copier! :-)

Have you considered epoxy grout? It is practically maintenance-free, so you can have any color you want.

Yes, you'd have to wait a week before you could use the grouted areas but (IMHO) it is well worth it. I used it on my kitchen floor and, after a year, extremely happy with my choice.

I second what eleena said. We went with epoxy grout in our master bath--mosaic glass floor, white grout. It was maintenance free and I loved being able to have the look I was going for.

I can understand having the epoxy grout on a floor and in a bathroom with the increased humidity and mold issue, maybe not so much on a backsplash? I'll check with my installer and get his viewpoint.

Harleysbud--while the epoxy would not be necessary for a backsplash from a moisture standpoint, it would allow you to use a light grout without your stated con of difficulty in cleaning. If you decide to use a darker color it probably wouldn't matter.

If you can get Tec brand power grout, I would highly recommend the color "Silverado". The inspiration pic locos very close to that color and in fact, we used it as well for our carrera backsplash last week. I think it looks beautiful and it a very faint gray which gives just enough definition but still blends well with the backsplash.

Good luck. Your kitchen looks beautiful!

I used a color called 'silver' and it's very similar to your inspiration pic.

Your inspiration photo looks like a warm gray. Maybe Maipei's Warm Gray? There's even a tanner gray called Pewter that might be a good match.

Grout can look so different IRL though -- best to do tester boards before committing.

My go-to gray grout is Silver Shadow by Laticrete. It may not be warm enough though.

Yes we also went with one of the new types of grout and I have ZERO problems with grout staining or ever looking dirty (in the bathroom). Awesome stuff. It's more expensive but worth every penny. But even my old school sanded grout in the kitchen with big hawking grout lines due to a complete and utter disaster of a tile setter doesn't really show anything. It's antique white too! Good luck!

Thanks all. You've given me a lot to think about. When I ask people they seem split 50% dark/50% light! Guess it's all in what makes you happy.

I do know my tile installer will be installing non-sanded grout..not sure why. I need to read up on the questions to ask. The grout isn't going in until next week so I have time to play around.