I would stick with white. You will already have enough contrast with the checkerboard floor and the beech countertops.

I wouldn't suggest making grout lines a design element (black or silver), not would I go with stark white (staining). Keep it simple and go with either "antique" (off-white) or light grey.

i am with k2yhe.

I like the look of grey/black grout with light tiles, but I think you're right that with the checkboard floor it might be too much. I'd probably use standard white.

Not white!!! White grout white tile = white wall. Trust me, the results would be disastrous. You need some contrast. On the other hand, you don't want to go dark gray or black either. The best advice I was ever given by a tile expert was this: "It should be a tile story, not a grout story." In other words, you don't need to draw attention to your grout. I always use a soft gray/sandy brown, sort of like natural cement. It will give you enough of a contrast, but not a headache.

Perhaps one should not overlook the shadow affect of the tile profile itself (leave larger spacing 1/8 at the widest). The shadow may create enough relief/outline to subtly show the grid if you used white. But I would vote for a lighter gray in the end. Is there under cab lighting?

Light grey sounds perfect.

I just picked out an accent tile for my bathroom and looked at it (in the store) on different colored pieces of paper to guess what the grout would look like.

white.

I think if you are going with a color, I do like the gray option, that the grout lines should be as thin as possible. That will let you have some contrast without looking dated or overpowering the tile.

I was having the same problem! I finally just decided to go with white. I figured it was hard to go wrong with that...
I'm not sure I like the result though.
I have pictures of the white grout and without grout, which gives a grey effect. Email me and I'll send you the pictures!

Claudia

I vote for white or light grey. You'll have the wood standing out so you don't need the tiles to stand out.
Send the after pictures ;)

I have a kitchen with white subway tile, checkered floors and wood countertops. We used white grout, as any color would likely conflict with the floors. We also wanted the tile to be subtle and not stand out. I have included 2 links so you can see for yourself what you think and go from there. As one poster said, it does just look like a white wall until you look closely ;)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thevintagecabin/4044298153/in/set-72157622742786416/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thevintagecabin/4125843165/in/set-72157622742786416/

White, it's more elegant.

The other options somehow look like there is dirt on the grout. I don't have experience to tell whether the same would eventually happen with white.

White

My kitchen has tile counters with a subway tile backsplash in all white. We chose Delorean Gray grout. It's dark enough to hide stains and give the tile dimension but not so dark that it screams "GROUT!" We did the kitchen 7 years ago and it still looks great - and we're heavy consumers (and spillers) of coffee and red wine.

If you are an avid cook, do not choose white. It stains very easily, and you will spend too much time trying to bleach out food splatter, tomato sauce, grease, etc. I suggest a light grey, which will complement the yellow paint and black and white tiles.

I think I already live in that kitchen! except that my walls are grey! I just installed the checker board floor and the back splash. The only thing is is that we used white grout and I wish that it were light grey. When you use the white grout you lose the pattern of the subway tile. The light grey would be subtle enough to show the pattern but not compete with the floor.

A couple more thoughts. Don't forget to consider the width of your grout joints. Wider joints give a more rustic appearance than smaller joints. Just something to consider. I'd also call or stop into a very high end tile store and ask what color grout they use in their installations. They all have their favorites, but it's usually something in the pale grayish tan or beige/off white family. It's just helpful to have a color name. If you've ever tried to choose from a bunch of grout samples, you know that the choices are endless. It can get confusing. There are probably about 20 "light grays" to choose from, so it's helpful when someone can narrow it down for you.

I love color but I think white is a pleasing, clean option for backsplash. Here is a good example of white tile with white grout that I think works really well.

http://makingitlovely.com/2007/08/28/finished-kitchen/

We're making the exact same decision, this week, except that our counter tops are dark and our floors are wood. I'm going gray - after looking in the tile showroom at the subway tiles with white and gray, I think the gray gives the tile more dimension (as someone said above) and also ages it, making it look more original to the house. As a couple of other people have noted, the spacing will also make a difference in how the tile reads - wider will give it a modern look, tighter joints will make it feel antique. We live in an old house and are trying to keep the kitchen with the same feel as the rest of the place, so are going with the latter.

Not to mention keeping white clean in a heavily used kitchen doesn't sound like fun.

Have fun! It's going to look amazing, either way.

I think a white grout looks really beautiful, but it all depends on how prone you are to spilling. If it was for me, I'd have to choose a light or medium grey colour for the grout otherwise it would very quickly look horrendous.
I'd also like to see the walls in this kitchen painted grey, it would make the white cabinets, the tile and the beautiful counters really pop out!

http://notyourgoddess.blogspot.com/

White!

Since the white tile is a backsplash versus being flooring, I would take advantage of being able to have the pure white to match the tile. Like someone else mentioned it looks elegant and also clean - which you want in a kitchen. You will still have contrast in the backsplash with the pattern of the tiles not to mention the rest of you color palette. And it won't be too much work to keep the grout from getting stained to maintain the white. You will have a beautiful bright kitchen when it is complete. I want to see it when it is done too!

white - check out the blog Young House Love to see how their bathroom tile project worked out. you seal the tiles to prevent staining. it's gorgeous and clean. i hate contrasted grout to tiles. it's gross. white subway tile should have white grout. if you're doing some italian/mexican/moroccan thing then it's a different story!

Another vote for light grey. I'd avoid the natural color grout - we have it in our bathroom and although I like the look and keep it clean, we've gotten several comments from friends like " you should clean the grout" or "you should really bleach the grout". People just aren't down with non white/grey grout.

Light or medium gray. White seems logical, but it will stain or at least collect dust and the gray will allow for leeway. And it won't be a major detail of the kitchen, it won't call as much attention as black might.

If you went with white--wouldn't it be sealed anyway?

As many people said, light to medium grey. It won't show the dirt and will wear really well. We have done that in both our bathrooms and it still looks nice, years later.

i did white grout with my white subway tiles and regretted it. this look is meant to have gray or black grout. if you're worried about contrast, do gray instead of black. but white just looks boring :(

I had the same dilemma last yr. Went with a medium grey and I'm very happy with it.Subways deserve some definition. See the link below for similar kitchen to yours.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_l2B1MMALRIU/RkQ7c7KDY1I/AAAAAAAAAX0/OEQQsLuiumo/s1600/k%C3%B6ksb%C3%A4nk.jpg

not white!!!! for both functional (dirt) and aesthetic reasons. I just remodeled a bathroom and put in a white hexagonal tile floor next to white beadboard and used gray grout on the floor tiles. I think I am bordering on too much white as-is and you have white tiles near white cabinets. And, it you are keeping your cabinet pulls (which look like a silver tone) gray could be a nice compliment.

I think grey would look dirty.

First and foremost: Definitely DO NOT USE BLACK!!!! This will look dirty and will show every bit of imperfection. It will also look really cheap and decrease potential resale value. Go too gray and it will also look like your grout was once white but is dirty.
I completely disagree with anyone telling you NOT to use white. Although it doesn't need to be the whitest white, it should DEFINITELY be white. You should always try to go one shade lighter or darker, depending on the tile and the millwork, countertops, etc.. I would say try "44 Bright White" or "18 Sauterne" by Laticrete or "00 White" or "38 Avalanche" by Mapei. Good luck!

I'm with @NotStacy on this one, get some grey!

oh and @Clio your kitchen is great!

White. Anything else, and you will need PERFECT installation for it to look neat.

And I second creative license... keep your grout lines VERY narrow, for subway tile, especially.

But if you are keeping that wall color, personally, I'd match a subway tile to the wall color, and the grout to the tile.

i would go with the darkest color you're comfortable with. White grout tends to get dirty and stain and its super hard to clean

white.

white tile = white grout.

I have the same color kitchen: sunny, buttery yellow and white cabinets. When choosing the grout color for the kitchen floors I went with a light grey.
It's forgiving and has just enough contrast.

Everyone keeps talking about "spilling", but how often do you spill on your walls, really? I'm an avid cook and i never have! I would do white. As you pointed out, your already have a lot going on with the floor. I think it will look great - please send "Afters"!

You can easily do a sample board with both options and put it up against the backsplash before you tile to see what you think. My vote is for white. Easily bleached or touched up too with white paint if it gets some cooking splatter on it. And I'm the daughter of the Tile King of Florida.

Hi,

I had the exact same challenge last week... I went with
White... Avalanche White to be precise.

here are just prior to grouting (the glue looks like grey grout):
http://picasaweb.google.ca/lh/photo/J6SCDf2Zx8t45YXvpMywy3uqUq4inuzECpzsX4L4UcI?feat=directlink

after the Avalanche:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/lh/photo/ZMdW9DqYh0TKI3b4oEBIo3uqUq4inuzECpzsX4L4UcI?feat=directlink

I wanted not to have too much texture because I already had a brick chimney next to the kitchen.

I'm happy with the result. But it was a tough decision.
Hope it helps someone.

good luck with you projects.

PS:
I also went with not brick pattern with the backsplash.

Don't forget to seal the grout, this way the white will not get yellowish in time if you opt for white.

As someone with about ten years in tile installation and design I think that you have a couple of options. White subway tile with white grout is the classic early 1900's look. It's done a lot right now and it always looks great. If you feel that white is too light, I wouldn't go any darker than a silvery gray, dark gray or black will stand out way too much. Good luck!

Wow, thank you for all of your helpful comments! I love the examples Clio and thecabin!

After reading everyone's advice (which is pretty evenly split between white and gray) I'm leaning toward using a pale grey. And I'm definitely going with a 1/8" line between the tiles (joint?) - thanks for the tips on that one. Thanks for steering me away from black; I think I would have lived to regret it!

I will definitely post photos after it is done so stay tuned!

Merci beaucoup!
Emily

Oh and Clio, do you remember the color name or brand of the medium gray you used? Thanks!!!

Emily, you can do the narrow 1/8" grout joint only if your tiles are very uniform. If not (some tiles have a very handmade, irregular quality), you'll need wider grout joints. Either way, the subway installation is beautiful. The joint width just gives it a different look depending on which way you go. If you look at Clio's example (which is gorgeous, by the way), you'll notice that the grout joints look to be slightly wider than 1/8". Either way, the color is perfect. Can't wait to see your after pics!

This is just in time for my wife and I, Emily! We're also having to make this same choice. I think I'm leaning towards a light grey, myself. White on white is just too boring for me.

As far as the grout-line width goes, I'm hearing(reading!) conflicting things here: is wider than 1/8" rustic or modern?

white tile begs white grout. darker colors makes grout look dirty.
in the event you get bored, you can always stain the grout in a grey or cream color. but the other way around won't work.

White gives it a more contemporary look, while light grey will look a little more retro. I had the same problem in my kitchen last year. I ended up with white because of the very contemporary look of my kitchen. I also used a small mosaic tile to break the subway. The mosaic was mixture of black glass, grey slate and grey glass.
Grey with just the subway tile would be great.

White tile must have white grout. Brand new, freshly sealed grout shouldn't stain unless you're leaving food on it for days. Anything else will look terribly dated terribly quickly.

Hi Emily, I'm afraid I don't remeber the name of the colour but the sales guy showed me an extensive selection of grout colours and this was one up from the palest grey. So it wasn't a very dirty looking grey. Thanks for the compliments on the image but it's not my kitchen, I sourced it from http://whitefloors.blogspot.com/

Your kitchen will be a success. Enjoy the makeover!

I would have agreed with pale grey, but I had the beech countertop and should warn you that it turns a slight orange color - something you might want to consider.

I have to agree that white tile begs for white grout. Whenever I see a grout color that isn't white or cream I just assume it's dirty -- not a look you're probably wanting in a kitchen.