If it matters-
I did a quick tally and you have 10 white votes and 39 grey votes. Now I understand some peoples vote may have more weight, and you need to do what will make you happy, but just thought I'd share! Good luck!!

I vote grey if the choice is between grey and white. I think it ties in better with the stone.

But IMHO, and I hate to say this, I would keep looking. I certainly wouldn't let the local newspaper thing sway me; you don't need a b/s for that.

I think if you wanted to repeat arabesque, you wouldn't have looked for something else. I think you have a different kitchen and should get a different b/s. My 2 cents.

I vote gray! Looks great.

I vote for the white! The gray is nice on the small sample, but over the entire backsplash...I think it would be too busy.

Bee, I can't believe I laid in bed and thought about this last night-:) I like the gray but I'm concerned about 2 things and they lead me back to all white:

1. I worry that it might make your kitchen look too matchy-matchy, like you tried too hard.

2. You have a lot going on with the detailed shape and depths of the arabesque. I think the outline of gray might push it over the top.

You know you are safe with the white. Besides, grout isn't typically something you want to highlight anyway.

I have always found that I'm never disappointed when I choose something interesting but stay on the softer, conservative side of that choice.

mtnredux, you know I value your opinion. But I have the tile. It is here, stacked in the garage.

The reason I ended up coming back to this tile is because I realized every tile I brought home I compared it to the beveled arabesque. I had that in mind when I was designing the kitchen and I guess that's why I couldn't find anything that worked better.

thanks for the votes.

I like the gray grout, too - but I also liked the gray tiles better. I don't think a light gray/silvery grout looks too busy or pushes it over the top at all.

Oh goodness, I am so daft. Sorry!

I hope you go with gray. And it will of course be lovely! There was never any question of that.

Bee- f you want me to photoshop the grey grout on a full backsplash, send me some high resolution photos of:
1) that straight on view of your old kitchen with the stool that you posted above (I will take the tile from there and add the grout color)
2) some straight on shots of your new kitchen in a horizontal view. Select a photo where you think you could make a good decision from. As long as it's high res I can send you some close-ups, too.
3) the grey shade you would like to use

I can work on this on Sunday so if you can't get it to me until then, no problem.

corgimum, you've got mail.

:)

White. I agree with berardmr and the reasoning.

When someone has difficulty choosing a granite, I always hear people saying you'll know it's right when you see it. You need to LOVE it.
Should that be true of your backsplash? I hear angst. I hear time pressures. I am not sure I hear your heart singing.
I am sorry if this causes you more anxiety.

Somehow GW ate the majority of my post above, and it ended up a nonsensical one liner..

Bee, you compared your white grouted arabesque to a quilted Chanel purse. I agree. It is beautiful, textured, fascinating, pristine and perfect. It doesn't need the embellishment of colored grout.
This is coming from a woman that does not care for tiled backsplashes, and in particular, white tile backsplashes. There are very few exceptions. The arabesque in your previous kitchen is the exception for white BS. The light plays over it so beautifully, highlighting the texture with shadows.
All of this, of course, is just my opinion ;-)

Okay, I'm voting! I'm in the gray camp. (I also really loved the gray tiles, though, back in that stage). I just really like how the gray grout connects to the counter and it is just different enough from your last BS to be unique and fresh. That said, the last BS was beautiful and if you want to replicate it exactly, it will look exactly as beautiful as it did in your last lovely kitchen.

Steph2000 can't stuff the ballot box! Surely she doesn't have a voting smart phone too?

Here is my 2$ (where is that cent sign when I need it?) Nothing profound. With your old kitchen the white looked fine, the shadows played like a gray grout in a way. Now with the gray it just punches it up a notch. The shape is lovely. I think if you planned the whole thing with this tile in mind definitely keep it. I love the gray. The white looks a little flat to me in your old kitchen photos. But it still shows off the shape because of the shadows. This kitchen looks a bit more glam. I think the gray would be like waring eyeliner with your mascara. Where as your previous kitchen you just had the mascara on.

The gray looks elegant...even considering it for my super white.
Can't wait to see what you decide...so I can make my decision ;)

I didn't mean to offend with my "rustic" comment in one of your earlier posts.

I love the gray grout, but I think it looks more rustic. I would go with white and I think it will look great.

Oh, well, I guess I just want to join the party.

I prefer the white. First impression I liked the grey. But when I look at the tile on the walls of your old kitchen, the shadow lines make their own ''grey'' grout. Maybe, the very lightest grey would be a nice accent, but do you really WANT a pencil line of grey distinctly darker than the soft shadowlines?

OK, Bee, I've resisted weighing in for so long, because I thought both were great. But I just looked back at the pictures of your two kitchens and I see one big difference that leans more toward the grey. Your previous kitchen had some fairlylarge areas of dark brown, above the cabinets, for example. Your current kitchen is overall paler and the cabinets go to the ceiling, leaving one with the impression of solid white walls. I think it needs the contrast and slight patterning of grey grout. I do think it will be busy...it's a large, but very regular pattern that will give an overall impression. And I do think it plays very nicely with the countertops.

FWIW.

I think you should install the tile and then decide once you see the tile in place with the dark ungrouted spaces in between. That's what I did, and it was very obvious to me that I wanted grout a little bit darker than my white tile. BUT my tile is flat squares and my cabinets are also white, so it really was going to be a wall of white if I'd used white grout.

In your case I am leaning toward white grout because the bevels will give you shape definition and shadow contrast without having to use different colored grout. I think it might look too busy with gray grout. But again, I'd have to actually see a wall full of the tile to know... maybe the photoshopping will help.

Good luck :)

Bee, I agree with Melissastar that what made the all white grout and tile look so great in your prior kitchen is the dark gray on the wall and the fact the cabinets did not go up to the ceiling. I feel your new kitchen will look beautiful either way but the gray will give it the added color it needs to tie in the cabinets with the counters and the island. Just my two cents. I think this is my third post trying to help you out but the final decision is yours and whatever you do, the kitchen is gorgeous already.

A vote for the gray grout :)

Oh my, what's a girl to do? It will be beautiful either way, Bee!

I think a good photoshop will help with your decision quite a bit.

In the end, follow your gut (it's there, just let it out) and you will know the answer. Or you could always ask the question to the little black ball I played with when I was a kid. I just hope it doesn't say "Ask me later."

You asked about specific grout colors... Try Laticrete Silver Shadow. It's a nice light gray and I am pretty sure ours is unsanded (I think it comes both ways).

Gray, gray, gray! (I know that only counts as one, but still...) :)

I agree that an even lighter gray would make it less obvious, but the one you showed looks great as well. So really, your only decision should be do you stick with the current gray or a slightly lighter gray? Yes, another decision, BUT...one step closer...

In our first home I wallpapered our bedroom with this pastel swirly paper. When we built our current home I again used the same wallpaper and regretted it for the 10 years I had to look at it until I convinced DH that striping wallpaper was not difficult.

It's time for a change. I vote for gray.

Thinking, thinking, thinking....gray.

Oh look...she has on a grey blouse. There's grey on the the phone and the monitor is grey. It's a sign for sure.
Do I get another grey vote for being observant?

Bee, I know this is not what you probably want to hear, but I don't think either are right for your new kitchen. I think the white with the grey is too matchy-matchy. I love the way you have orange accents in your kitchen and I think that is the idea you should aim for with your backsplash. Not orange, but something that still allows your counters to shine, while adding a subtle color or texture. I think the white on white will leave you feeling unsettled, or maybe that is just how I would feel. Your backsplash set the stage, but I think if you pick it again, you will always have that "grass is greener" feeling when you see other ones that "could have been". Just my two cents. You have fabulous taste, so I am sure that you will pick the right one.

I can resist no longer...gray is my vote. It is not too dark of a gray and will play nicely off the granite. Love the white in the other house but with this granite I like the gray. Put some up without the sample board, just lean them on the counter and let your gray walls show through. Might help your visual.

My tile guy is doing another job where he is using one of the dazzle colors from Spectralock pro line. The sample he showed me had a couple of different samples called silver and pearl. These can apparently be added in at the level you want but they gave the palest sheen to make the grout a reflective as the tile itself. If you are mixing option.. something to try.. It may look classy with your polished tile..

senator....do you mean try something like....turquoise grout? You do know I have 65 sq feet of this tile in the garage, right? Do you mean a different tile?

Btw, dh saw the tile. I told him he didn't have to tell me his opinion right now. But he isn't thinking about it like I am. I think he may have forgotten!

Yes.

Forgotten.

Is it from the airplane air?

Maybe tomorrow I"ll get an answer.... Maybe?

Decided I'd chime in too after keeping up with all this! Better than HGTV!
(Gardenamy wrote out many of my thoughts)
I vote gray, even lighter perhaps, but gray ;)
FWIW, I explained your situation to DD11with pics and she likes the white lol!

AHHHH can't believe he didn't give you his opinion. I feel for you!

I love the suggestion from northcarolina of "waiting" until you see the tiles up on the wall un-grouted and go from there. You have to wait for it to dry anyways right?

Now go have some wine!

Sorry Bee, I thought you just had the samples. I missed the part that you had the order in your kitchen. Carry on! You have amazing style. And with that, I vote for white on white!

OH and BTW I'm torturing myself by following this thread. Of course I take any negative comments about the all white personally, especially after I've had my own wine haha...but I KNOW not every one has the same taste, so take it with a grain of salt.

I'm sure whatever you decide will be great. I really don't think you could go wrong with the tiles. xoxo

>> Oh look...she has on a grey blouse. There's grey on the the phone and the monitor is grey. It's a sign for sure.

This cracked me up !!!

And I always agree with rhome410's opinion after she says it:
>> You mentioned in another post, I think, that more than one person came into your old kitchen and thought your bs was sheets of something, rather than individual tiles, which means those people, in real life, see the same thing Remodelfla and others do in photos...The white coming off as a solid mass. You didn't really say how you felt about that, but I would hate it. Some kind of textured sheet goods (faking tile) seems like a chintzy way out and these tiles aren't that. I think the gray adds depth and a little interest without making it seem busy. If you're seeing 'busy,' maybe a lighter gray would help, but still have the same advantages.

My new-to-today opinion:

Also, from the vantage point of the 2'nd picture down that you recently posted, the grey would pick up on the island drawer front tones as the sun bounces off them.

Grey is such a sophisticated color.

And this IS better than HGTV !!

Any pics of the grout when it's dry? Not sure how long that takes.

I vote gray.

Grey please!

I really like the arabesque with the light gray grout I thin it plays very nicely with your counters

If grey or white is the choice, I'd go grey. Like it with the stainless and also it seems to pull from the blue island.

Whoever suggested a different color has an interesting POV...although, I'd have no clue which color.

One of your signature design accents seems to be a tasteful bit of bling. I'm wondering if you could do up a sample board with this bit of Spectralock Dazzle (perhaps the silver or the mother of pearl) added into a gray grout. Here's the clip from their site:
http://www.laticrete.com/homeowners/technical_services/faq/planning_a_job/spectralock_grout.aspx

"What is the LATICRETE SpectraLOCK PRO Grout Dazzle component?

LATICRETE SpectraLOCK Dazzle is an optional component for use with LATICRETE SpectraLOCK PRO Premium Grout and LATICRETE SpectraLOCK PRO Grout. LATICRETE SpectraLOCK PRO Premium Grout and LATICRETE SpectraLOCK PRO Grout are available in a range of 40 designer colors, but by blending in a LATICRETE SpectraLOCK Dazzle component, the color pallette expands to over 170 options! LATICRETE SpectraLOCK Dazzle is available in Gold, Silver, Copper, Mother-of-Pearl, and Glow-In-The-Dark. The LATICRETE SpectraLOCK Dazzle metallic flake powder replaces some of the standard LATICRETE SpectraLOCK PRO Grout Part C filler powder to produce a unique, light-reflective grout joint that can enhance many tile applications. The LATICRETE Dazzle Glow-In-The-Dark will make your grout glow at night if the grout gets a sufficient charge of light during the day. NOTE:There is a limitation for the Gold, Silver, Copper, and Mother-of-Pearl Dazzle components which may tarnish from strong alkali and acidic cleaners so their use is typically limited to wall applications only. "

Here is a link that might be useful: Dazzle in your grout

I was picking up my Artistic tile sample which has glass inserts and the salesperson suggested glass grout. It looks beautiful and very delicate. It would give a translucency to the grey (or even white) grout that would ensure it wouldn't look like concrete and would be slightly different then your last kitchen if you did go with white grout. The best way I can describe it is that it was like tiny beads of glass compressed together. Many pale colours that might be appropriate for your application. I have a sample somewhere so will look and repost with more details.

It's StarGlass grout. Pictures don't do it justice. I know nothing about how it performs over time but just thought it would give you another option.

I haven't read all these responses so sorry if I repeat anything but I really like the grey. The light grey grout makes like actual individual tiles and accents the bevel of the arabesque in a nice subtle way.

The white grout makes the tiles blend into what looks like a puffy quilt that almost looks like a sheet of fabric that has been put on the wall.

Both looks are nice but I think the grey grout makes the backsplash look a bit more elegant.

Good luck with your decision.

Just reread my post and realized it should have said "I do NOT think it will look busy." And I definitely think rhome has a point about the white with white potentially looking too "solid". Combined that with the to-the-ceiling white cabs and, it's too much.

The idea of a glass grout or something with a teeny bit of shimmer is intriguing.

I sympathize with the dilemma...but ain't it a grand dilemma to have?

Bee, the room looks stunning! I can see your beautiful taste throughout your new house. I was on a break from gardenweb for some time and loved your new pictures. May I ask where you got your coutner stools from? They look stunning!

Bee, the room looks stunning! I can see your beautiful taste throughout your new house. I was on a break from gardenweb for some time and loved your new pictures. May I ask where you got your coutner stools from? They look stunning!