i came to the same conclusion - i'm having sample boards made up. you're right - the countertop does read gray in certain light. ocassionaly taupe. i was originally going to go with white but decided i wanted to see the outline of the tiles because it's stacked. if it were staggered, i'd probably not want to see the outlines

Definitely make sample boards Then prop them up to see what you like best. Looking at them laid flat won't give you the right perspective. Look at them the way they will exist in your house - in your kitchen, propped vertically up against your ungrouted backsplash, with your lighting already installed, etc.

We have the adessi brand of this tile and we used mapei warm gray. We didn't want white but nothing too dark.

@itsourcasa any way you can post a photo? i'd love to see how it turned out with that combination

@itsourcasa I probably should have gone with grey myself. I did the Custom warm gray (even after lookin gat 6 sample boards) and now regret it a bit as I think close up it makes the grout look "dirty". I think it's safer to go with cooler vs warm colors with grout, or else it just ends up looking dirty. painful lesson learned. my tile looks better from afar than close up. I should have gone a shade between bleached wood and warm gray. i was also frustrated because my tiler wanted me to pick from Custom colors only, and not Laticrete or another brand

It's definitely gray and doesn't look dirty. Post a pic!!

DH - has your grout color lightened at all as it’s dried out? I’m not sure how many days it’s been since you had your backsplash grouted.

@D H I think it looks fabulous! I think going 'greige' for the grout plays well with the wood shelving but still looks gray IMO. @itsourcasa Gorgeous! your tile looks identical to Cloe White! Maybe that would be a good alternative for those of us who are waiting forever to get the Bedrosians.

@Glee 4 it is VERY similar I got both samples before deciding.

@D H Maybe have a custom cabinet guy make a hearth or a false door for you up there? Is this unit supposed to be an undercabinet unit?

@itsourcasa, where is your tile from?

cover up the 'duct' for the hood? isn't the duct connected to your current hood? or do you have another duct? and if you do, why wasn't that other one removed and walled over?

Please confirm you have a working duct for your vent hood.

I have seen something like this. you'd match your cabinet style

otherwise, it would look better if you did an actual vent hood, something like this in the wood or the white.

I would have taken the tile all the way to the ceiling.

BTW, your grout choice is perfect

@Beth H. : thanks! I actually just decided to go ahead and have them fabricate a duct cover. I think sometimes it's referred to a "soffit" or a "shroud" that basically covers up the actual duct. I didn't purchase the one that the manufacturer offered because it wasn't tall enough to reach my ceiling and that was the only height they offered. I do really like the look of the custom hood cover options, and I may re-do it someday to cover up all of the stainless steel, but will see how this turns out for now. we're super eager to get moved in after waiting over a year to build our home.

I personally didn't want the tile to go all the way up the wall because it's a fairly expansive wall since I have no upper cabinetry and did not want tile all over my two walls. I actually like the white paint color of my walls and wanted that to come through.

thanks for the reassurance on the grout color :) still not convinced I shouldn't have gone lighter, but I think it looks good enough. Maybe I'll get it perfect next time. LOL.

i really love that photo you posted of the walnut kitchen with the white tile. I actually wanted just plain white tile but it was too harsh against my slightly gray/taupe countertop in the natural light we have in our kitchen.

I really like your tile. looks great w/the wood too. It also looks fine w/the wall painted above it, I just happen to like the tile! lol

you could have incorporated it on your hood too!

this is similar to yours w/the tile color and the wood shelving. so pretty.

I do like that you went w/the vertical stack, like this one. (but I wish they would have tile all the way up too!)

this vent hood cover is different. very simple looking. shelves are similar to yours.

how about a sconce ??

I actually really like this one. even the vent cover.

@Beth H. : I love your tile ideas.. I could use your help in picking our backsplash. Our builder needs me to choose it prior to countertops being installed and I'm at a loss on how to tie it all in together! It's really hard not seeing the space completed!

Lisa, start a dilemma and post pics of everything.

I don't know why builders insist on having the client pick out backsplash tile. it's an accent and totally unnecessary to a working kitchen.

If you want to take your time choosing, just have them install the 4" back piece up the wall (but be there on install day and advise the installer not to use too much adhesive because after move in you'll be removing it)

@Beth H. : I would love to but I don't want to open up pandora's box LOL. We all know that group of posters who don't have anything helpful to add but want to negatively comment on your choices even if you aren't asking for comments on those choices LOL. I spent hours and hours and hours picking everything out and I am very happy with my choices but I really don't want to hear people criticize them. That said, I'm not a fan of that 4" splash and as much as I hate to do it, I will need to pick the tile for the backsplash. I have time before he will install it but I don't live in the state where we are building so I feel compelled to get it done on one of my trips down there.

lisa, ok. well, since I can't see what choices you've picked, it's difficult to suggest anything.

try and look at pictures that match what you've chosen and go from there.

A lot of the white tiles like Cloe, Portmome or some of the other similar looks, are all out of stock at the moment.

I know... I'd be happy to email everything to you. It's going to be tough to find the perfect fit.

@Amy floor and decor.

@itsourcasa, thank you! I was thinking of ordering cloe samples to compare as well so it’s good to know someone else did and found them similar. Does your F&D tile seem to have more grays?

@Amy I'm not sure I only got one sample piece of the cloe so I don't know how it compares as a grouping in real life. I don't have any filters on my pics.

@Amy - I am planning on heading over to F & D later today to pick something up (never been there before - I’m kind of worried that I’ll see stuff and start second guessing choices I’ve made for two of my bathrooms!) I have Cloe White tile (waiting to be installed). I’ve posted a bunch of photos for people a few days ago so they could get a idea of the colors. I’d be happy to get some photos of the actual Adessi tile while I’m there for you. Maybe I can bring some of my Cloe tile with me and lay them out next to each other? Let me know if that would be helpful!

@dani_m08 Yes, please! That would be very helpful. Thank you so much!

Double listing on another board. Bad news. My Cloe white which I ordered first of March was supposed to be 2 weeks, then another 2 weeks. Now they’re saying end of April. I also recently found a larger tile that looks a lot like Cloe by Arizona Tile Flash White. What do you think? https://www.arizonatile.com/en/products/porcelain-and-ceramic/flash#
I’ve got a video comparing the samples side by side by I don’t think I can post a video here.

@Amy - I just wanted you to know that I wasn’t feeling well yesterday afternoon so I didn’t make it over to F&D. I will be heading there later today. Didn’t want you to think I forgot about you!

@glee4 - I didn’t look at the Arizona Tile yesterday. I just pulled it up. My guess is that it is also manufactured by Equipe Ceramicas like the Cloe tile. They have some collections that include a 3x12 tile size. It looks A LOT like their tiles. My guess is that it will look very similar to Cloe - but with less color variation. It looks like the surface texture and gloss are the same. The specs don’t list the amount of variation - if I was you, I’d call and ask what it is (usually like V4/V3/V2). Also, ask them what the actual dimensions are vs. the nominal size that‘s included on the website. That will help us figure out if it is actually made by Equipe and how similar it will look to Cloe.

I actually really like the 3 x 12 size a lot.

My twist & turn. We decided we can’t risk waiting another 2-4 weeks for Cloe (may be stuck in the Suez canal??). So now I’m back to Arizona Flash - all IN STOCK. As you mentioned @dmac1108 - people have a very hard time noticing the difference between Cloe white and Arizona Flash white side by side. But Flash white has slightly more opaque white tones... which I didn’t want since my Quartz is mostly white. I wanted a bit more variation.

So I went another direction. I’m going with Flash Lead, final answer! 😜 Variations of light to med warm gray — it plays well with the veins on the counters, and 3x12 size has a different/modern look that I like too. Plus it has the artisan hand-made look that I wanted, like the Cloe.

glee,,,looking forward to seeing this Flash tile!

Here’s my collection now with new Flash Lead... @beth your thoughts? What color grout would work well between the subway and the chevron calacutta for my deco above the oven?

Sorry the wall cabs got cut off! That’s the island cab stain. Main cabs are off-white (Dover- a warm white-beige). I’m having issues with the Houzz app’s photo function.

glee,, (BTW, why not start your own post if we're going to be doing tile choices? it's just easier for everyone. I'll be glad to help you out if make one)

they look just like this Emser tile

can't really tell from the picture, but the color of the tile doesn't really work w/the countertop. maybe it's just my monitor. are they both the same color? the top one looks more taupe.

as for the chevron, I like that choice for the entire backsplash. I would not do both, as they really don't work together.

Why are you going w/the Calacatta instead of carrara? (above). Calacatta has the warmer tones to it. do you have warm wood tones in the kitchen? All I see are the cooler gray tones.

slightly larger, calacatta chevron:

I like this one too (and I think the tone would better fit your choices AND I'd do the entire wall w/this one. much better than the original one your picked, or the subway tiles)

https://backsplash.com/product/ba631613-white-modern-marble-chevron-mosaic-backsplash-tile/

(they're on backorder for a few weeks too.. I wouldn't care. I'd wait for this one. It beautiful, different, no one else has it, and it's a great design but subtle enough not to overtake the kitchen)

If you don't care and just want a grout color, I'd use Custom "oyster gray" or Mapei, 'Warm Gray", or maybe Silver.

@beth. Thanks! Nice selections and ideas worth thinking about. I like the strike a balance of cool tones and warm tones. Good idea to branch off from this thread since we’re veering off the O.P. I think I’ve seen the Emser tile and Flash is pretty different. (Pictures seem to do weird things) I really wanted color variations in my tile which is why I was attracted to Cloe. :)

@Amy - I’m really feeling awful - still didn‘t make it over to F&D. HOWEVER - someone else did about five days ago! I just saw the notification - she posted them because we were discussing how many similar tiles there are. I can’t remember who it was at the moment. She said that the F&D tile appeared to be the same as the Cloe when she brought some home.

Below is the pic from F&D. The second photo is a collection of various sample tiles (Cloe/Artisan/Adessi/maybe Riad?/etc) - it shows how similar all of these tiles are.

Based upon looking at the photos, my guess that the Cloe tile has more variation. If you look at the second photo - I bet that the tiles that have a little bit of a taupe hue in the photo are Cloe. While I don’t see that hue IRL, I have seen it sometimes in photos depending upon the lighting.

@Amy - I found it! This is who took the photos above!

@dani_m08 Thank you so much! That is veru helpful! I hope you feel better soon.

@Amy - You’re welcome! I felt so bad that I wasn’t able to head over there yet (fingers crossed it will be tomorrow!) - I was extremely happy when I saw the above posted photos in the other thread!!

@dmac and @amy I went to F&D today and found them! I’ll be happy to pay it forward (passing along Dmac’s kindness). I can text you more pics and a video. I snapped a pic and took video. The pic is posted on my new Insta: @remodel_diaries. You can DM me there too for more details.

@dmac btw I was the one who posted from F&D LOL- the first pic is the one I shared & you reshared. 😃 Again I’ve got more upon request or would be happy to send a couple samples anyone who needs it.

@Glee 4- Okay - so when I first wrote my post to Amy - it said that I thought you were the one who went to F&D - but then I found something else and thought I had been confused.

CLEARLY I‘VE LOST MY MIND!!!

I guess that’s what happens when your renovating two bathrooms at the exact same time - and one of them isn’t going to plan . . . Sorry!

@dani_m08 No worries and no apology needed! It's tough to keep track of these threads! Side note. For some reason the mobile app is very wonky for me on my iphone. I think it works much better from a desktop.

@Glee 4 -- I am in the same predicament as you with the Cloe Tile. Ours was ordered a while ago (but not long enough, apparently) and it's still backordered. It was supposed to be installed this week, but now we're just working around it. I'm hoping that their proposed late April delivery is accurate. I refuse to pick out another tile at this point, unless it's an exact dupe. So, now I'm just going to have a finished kitchen without a backsplash for a few weeks, unless I can find a suitable replacement quickly. She did say that the Cloe tile is distributed under different names for different manufacturers. I feel like the cat it out of the bag, though, and they're all sold out! We discussed Equipe, but she never gave me an update. It must also be sold out now?

The tile you just found and posted from F&D- the Adessi Zellige, correct? You think it's an exact dupe for the Cloe? I should try to visit my local store.

@Glee 4 - Did you buy the Adessi tile at F&D? I seriously can still look into shipping costs if you change your mind. I really have no idea if they are cost prohibitive.

Based upon your photo - it does look pretty spot on to the Cloe. Maybe a tiny bit less variation? Is it the same dimensions?

Do you think it‘s odd if I use the Cloe tile in a different color in one of my bathrooms? I don’t think it is - but my sister questioned it.

@dani_m08 I stopped at F&D yesterday and looked at the Adessi tiles, the Pearl Zellige color. They had variation to them, and they are the same dimensions. The batch that I looked at seemed way more warm/beige-y than the Cloe. It was almost as if someone had mixed some of the cream color Cloe tiles with the white tiles in the same box. I wanted to love them, but I just couldn't. I know that Cloe has a lot of variation, but I'd rather see more grays mixed in than the creamy color. Our tile person did not recommend getting tile from F&D. She said she stopped using them because they had quality control issues with a lot of their products. She did mention that they have a lot of good stuff, but just to be cautious. If someone really wants Cloe but can't find it, the Adessi is a great dupe. It sounds like you just have to be extra careful with inspecting the boxes and tiles before installing. I'm sure they'll be great for anyone who wants to pursue that option. I have photos from the store and I will post.

@Addie Yeah, Zellige Pearl Opal at F&D. Here are pics from the showroom display - i see the same level of variation as the displays I've seen in the Bedrosian showroom. @dani_m08 thank you, but I found our match - bought 8 boxes right away. Yes, these are the same thickness and dimensions.

I posted this thought on another thread - I have trouble describing them as "cooler or warmer tones" but they do lean cool IMO - Remember these tiles originated from a ceramic/clay material, which is an earthy material. I could be wrong, but it seems like the paint applied to the tiles vary in intensity to create the variation rather than shades of paint (or like more opaque and less opaque. (Most typical tiles are totally coated making them 100% opaque). I wonder if that makes sense... Then the glazing probably adds something to the finish too.

I have 4 samples of Cloe with me on hand and when I mixed them on my kitchen counter, we could not tell which was which. but that's just me...

Even within the same brand, I believe tiles can vary from production to production. That could also explain any difference you see. I like that these are forgiving because of the variation!

Adessi version on display - Mapei Warm Gray grout. The lighting makes the whites stand out more. From far away, it looks more blended.

Adessi - I set the tiles on the floor here.

@addie If you can function without backsplash, it makes sense to wait. I ordered mine early March, and they told me end of april without a guarantee. We have to tile behind our vent hood & I can't get appliances & faucet installed until after tile. Hope this helps! - Grace

@Glee 4 Those look great! I think that the open sample box in the store must have had more of the neutral beige-y colors, not the white or gray. Like you said, they all have so much variation to them and every box is a surprise! I have about 10 pieces of Cloe tile at home, and they look more white/gray (while still being warm and not too cool at the same time. lol.) It definitely could have been the particular box. I'm happy that you found them and you can proceed with your install!

@Glee 4 - I think you are correct about the glazing and resulting variation. It does appear that the background of the tile is showing through the glaze more on some tiles vs. others.

These tiles are just so difficult to capture in a photo. If the tiles are stamped “Made in Spain” on the back, it seems highly likely that they are the same ones. Also, if you mixed the Cloe tiles with the Adessi, and couldn’t tell a difference, that is the most important factor.

FYI - I recently had European Oak floors installed that were purchased at F & D - they are 9” wide plank, 5/8” thick with a 4mm veneer. They are random lengths - up to about 86”. No short boards. My installer hadn’t heard of the brand (Woodland Reserve) before - so he asked me where I purchased them. He commented about how nice they were - and said that they were very easy to install (no warping - he didn’t have to cull boards in order to address issues - other than if I wanted to replace one due to the level of variation - a reactive stain was used = more variation between boards).

As Addie pointed out, I’m sure there are products at F&D where quality is an issue - you just need to be careful when selecting one of their inexpensive tiles. I remember coming across the Adessi tiles when I was first looking at Cloe White - they were actually a little more expensive than than the Cloe tiles at Bedrosian and other retailers. The photos above definitely look like my Cloe White tiles.

I think your backsplash will be beautiful. So glad that you didn’t have to settle for something! I was worried that you’d wind up regretting your decision - Dani

@dani_m08 Funny that you mention the price. The Adessi is more expensive than the Bedrosians! They definitely had the Made in Spain stamped in the back. It certainly seems like they're the same tile, just distributed through a different manufacturer.

They had at least one other Cloe-like tile by Adessi in a beautiful cobalt blue color. I wish that I had somewhere to put them in my house because they were quite striking. This one:

https://www.flooranddecor.com/porcelain-ceramic-decoratives/zellige-zirconium-polished-ceramic-tile-100776681.html

Here was the display at my F&D location, for anyone who is interested. The grout shown is Mapei Timberwolf. I will say that I like how they indicate the grout color on all of their displays.

And, here are some out of the box. This photo may not be super helpful.