That looks perfect to me! Compliments your counters and cabinets perfectly! Do you have pics before grout?

Thank you! Unfortunately, I do not have any before pictures and I am kicking myself that I do not. Maybe I am just being too picky! My husband likes, our builder and his wife like it. I am the only one who is not really a fan. :-(

I think it looks great. As Amber said, the grout complements the tones in your counter, plus the brown tones in the backsplash highlight your beautiful cabinets. IMHO, brown grout would not be as attractive.

Looks okay to me. What range are you putting in?

I think it looks really good. I'm not sure what color would be better - it blends in/matches perfectly.

Thank you everyone! You are right, I am not sure what color I would replace it with. I just need to see the kitchen when it is complete and not focus just on the grout.

We are putting in the BS RNB V2. When it is installed I will post pictures of the stove and rest of the kitchen.

It looks great! Nice work, too. I like your sink window.

It's fine.

I'm in the like it club!

re range -- I can't see from here, but if below the tile is wall board, look to the instructions and code. We are putting cement board behind ours, but could have tiled 6 inches lower. I could be wrong....but just in case.

Happy cooking! Looks like a great space.

I will have to ask about the wall board behind the range. Thank you for the heads up.

Admittedly, I stink at color, but I like it. It does emphasize the gray, but it seems coordinated to me.

I say live with it 'til Easter and see if it doesn't cease to be an issue for you. If you still dislike it then, think about what to do then.

If they just put it in, is it dried completely yet? I believe and Joe can confirm that grout color will lighten up a hair? I happen to think it's perfect.

When there's no grout, the joints look very dark. Is that what you liked? More contrast and pattern? You could always darken the grout.

At least it works and doesn't clash!

Just because everyone likes it (and it does look good) doesn't mean what you had in mind wouldn't have been better or better for you. So don't worry about that part. We all like what we like.

Here is an example of similar slate tile back splash with dark counters and rustic cabinets and the grout is lighter. This is what I had envisioned as I think it highlights the slate more.

Cliffhanger Cabin · More Info

Here is another example:

Arts & Crafts Kitchen - Quartersawn Oak Cabinets · More Info

It looks fine to me. Remember that by the time you start using the kitchen, you won't be just standing around looking at that grout There will be items on the counter to distract your eye while you're using the kitchen.

I much prefer your tile to the tile shown in the first one of your inspiration pictures; I think the light grout makes it more noticeable and that is just too many different patterns and textures for my taste.

IMO, in the picture with the lighter grout, the grout jumps out at me instead of noticing the tile.

I like yours much better. It blends with the tile which makes me notice the tile first.

I think it would look too busy to have lighter grout around smaller tiles and it is perfect as is...

I think it looks good and keep in mind the grout may lighten over a few days if you just had it done.

We recently grouted our black slate floor and I was sure my DH used the wrong color grout at first because it looked too dark and brown. It dried to the perfect color over the next few days.

I just wanted to add that I think it's common to second-guess the grout right after it is done. Give it a few days and then see how you feel. I had the same experience when our backsplash was grouted. I had liked it before, when the pattern of the tiles was more evident without the nearly matching grout. However, I love it now and never give any thought to whether I would have liked more contrast in the grout.

Thank you everyone for talking me off the edge here. I will definitely let it go and try to stop focusing on it. And I agree, once everything is in the kitchen and we are using it I most likely will not be focusing on it.

Thank you again for helping me out.

As I said, it might lighten up some over the next few days. Who picked the color.

Additionally, your inspiration pictures have larger tiles than your actual tile. If you went with a light colored grout like in your inspiration pictures, my guess is you'd be coming on here crying about how it was way too busy. Now I say that as someone who likes pattern and busyness in either a countertop or backsplash but agree with the others that it would be way too busy with the smaller tile. Whomever picked the grout color made the right call IMHO.

Have to wonder why she loved it without grout. What color thinset or adhesive did they use?

I love your backsplash as is! I that it might be a little busy with a lighter grout. I wouldn't change anything, its perfect.

Oh, I agree with what everyone else said...it's perfect the way it is! Worry about something else ;)

Ours is grey. Our limestone floor is grey. When first grouted, you literally couldn't see the grout lines. But after three days it was fully dry and quite a bit lighter than the flagstones. Yours I'm sure will go that way too.

If it does lighten, please post pictures.

I like your examples. With your solid counters and slab drawers, I don't think a lighter grout would add too much pattern.

The grout was selected by the designer of the tile/stone company and approved by me. I just did not visualize it quite the way it turned out. Prior to it being grouted what I noticed more was the individual slate tiles and the great colors they brought to the kitchen. And now what I notice first is the dark gray slate with the dark gray grout verses the other reds and browns.

When the kitchen is complete I will post pictures of it. There is still quite a bit of work left to do with adding all of the pulls and knobs, plus the items they are working on in the rest of the house.

The the first photo -- well lit from above, if only temporarily -- is smashing. In the other photos, the whole subtle back splash gets a bit muddy and the lovely contrast between the shiny granite and the matte back splash is lost.

I think this is consistent with your affection for you first inspiration photo, which is shot in the down light from the exhaust hood.

Ergo, I trust that you are planning to install under-cabinet lighting. I think it will show off your back splash in its full glory, in addition to keeping cooks from working in their own shadows.

Yes, there will be under cabinet lighting so that should make a significant difference. I completely agree with you, when I look at my first posted photo of the back splash that is right above where the stove is going I think it looks nice, and that the grout does not look too dark. LOL, I am sure I am making much ado about nothing here.

I agree with the sentiments expressed that the lighter grout in the example draws your eye to the light lines rather than the stone. Outlining the slate is not necessarily a good thing and doesn't make the slate stand out. The light grout lines stand out. Same as if you had gone with a different color grout accenting the rust and browns. Too much contrast is not a good thing.

The grey grout blends with the slate and the accent is on the stone and not your grout lines. Your "mistake" is a good one. It looks marvelous. Love that the slate is the focus and not your grout.

I hope your grout lightens a bit as it dries so you can enjoy the various stones. I think you are right that the current color makes it appear more monolithic (and muddied) as it blends in so much. Have you talked with your designer to see if they think the color will cure lighter or if it turned out as they had intended? Did you show them examples you liked?

Hopefully it will look as you loved it pre-grout once the counter lighting gets installed.

If this makes you feel better, i think it all ties together nicely. Perhaps if you live with it for a while, your mental picture will shift.

It looks like you have a nice mixture of colors in the backsplash, which provides a lot of visual interest. The lighter grout would look good but the darker might let the pattern in the stone sing more.

I just wanted to update everyone on my backsplash. The under cabinet lighting is in and as everyone already thought, I love it! The grout did lighten up after drying and with the addition of the under cabinet lighting it looks great. Thank you again for talking sense into me.

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Kitchen Ideas · More Info

As soon as the entire kitchen/house is complete I will post a reveal. Thank you again!

Stunning. I'm so glad you're happy!

Wow that looks absolutely stunning!

It looks great! I have the same stone throughout my home as well as the exterior landscape and I love it.

love all those drawers!

Everything looks stunning, mullde. Proof once again that if you invest enough anxiety up front, you get a super outcome.

The light from the ucl's is especially nice. Would you share the make of the fixtures and/or whether the bulb color is billed as "cool" or "warm"?

Hattysue, I will have to ask our electrician what brand the under cab lights are. What I do know is that they are LED and supposed to last for 20 years which I thought was great. In our last house I was constantly changing the small bulbs in our under cabinet lights, plus they were very hot. These LED lights do not get hot and they have a dimmer which is nice. I will ask and post back here.

It's looking great! Looking forward to seeing your reveal!

I love the grout, the tile, the countertops, and the cabinets! Do you mind sharing the name of the backsplash tile?

I'm glad to hear that your like it more than when you originally posted. FWIW, I think that the color of your cabinets highlights the rich, warm tones of the tile - a warm grout would have been overkill. It looks stunning to me.

Amazing how that lightened!! You have a lovely space.

Lovely! One little suggestion: oil rubbed bronze switch plate covers to replace the black (or whatever color the pulls and knobs are made of). I think that would blend with the beautiful backsplash nicely.

Salex, thank you! I will have to ask what the exact brand/name of the backsplash is as I do not remember. What I do know is that it is slate. I will find out and post here to let you know.

Stan Z, thank you as well! Wow, I did not know that oil rubbed bronze switch plates were even an option. You are right, they would look great! I just emailed my builder and told him I want to change them out--thank you for letting me know!

As an example here's a link to some of the color choices Leviton offers in their Renu line:

http://www.leviton.com/OA_HTML/SectionDisplay.jsp?section=63008&minisite=10251&itemsPerPage=All

You could go with a gray or brown plastic for everything or try to find a plastic outlet that best matches an oil rubbed bronze face plate. Just wanted to let you know there are choices other than black that I think would really look great in your kitchen.

Salex, the backsplash sample I have says it is Premium Mosaics, however, when I look that up on the web I just find retailers not a company. When I can I will ask the Tile company guy to see if he has any other information. As I said before, all I really know is that it is slate.

Hattysue, I checked with our builder on the brand/make of the LED under cabinet lights and he said they are the same thing that they sell at Home Depot. They are just a strip of LED lights that has adhesive on the back so they stick to the underside of your cabinets. I hope that helps.