I prefer the darker grout. It looks less "busy" and results in an expanse of that lovely tile instead of little individual pieces.

I really much prefer the darker grout similar to your fireplace. Both tiles are gorgeous, by the way :)

I vote for a darker grout - pick one to match either the gray tones or the rust of the tiles and I think I have a slight preference for the rust. It's going to look great!

Love the tiles on your fireplace and the new backsplash ones!!! I also like the look of the darker grout like that of your fireplace.

Darker!

Rusty grout is an interesting idea (might help tie in flooring too!?)

Whoops.. I like light for the kitchen. :)

great tiles! are those motawi tiles?

i vote for dark grout, and like the idea of a rust colored grout which would nicely contrast the green tiles and add a bit of warmth to your space.

dark grout brings an older feel. light grout on dark tiles is a very 80's look.

if it's not too late, you might also consider setting your tiles closer together than normal. brings a very period look.

please tell us who made those tiles!

Thanks so much for your feedback everyone. The tiles are "Craftsman Series" from The Tile Shop. Love that you thought they were Motawi tiles, edlakin! We have a few Motawi tiles in the the house and just love them.

Here are two samples held up to the tile. Colors are a bit off since it's night and the lighting is from the undercabinet lights. The grey is actually much darker.
The one on the left is Natural Grey and the one on the right is Earth. Here's a link to the Prism colors to have a better look at the colors. The Earth is the closest I could find to rust in the samples our contractor gave us.

Would you chose one over the other? Or keep looking?

On a side note, I think my husband thinks I'm going wacky w/ all of these obsessive questions. He looks at the grout, picks one out in a *second* (the dark grey), and is done. :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Prism grout colors

i agree with your husband, dark gray. the rust one is off somehow. also, if it fades it may change and match even less. gray fading to lighter gray would not be a problem. love the fireplace and all the tiles!! i would try to coordinate with the fireplace grout... kren

Yep go grey!

Definitely darker and definitely gray over rust - gray matches the fireplace, won't be an issue if it fades a bit, and much much easier to keep clean. (I speak from experience having cream-colored grout in my current kitchen. You'd think with modern sealants, it wouldn't matter, but one coffeegrind splash up in there that doesn't get wiped down immediately and the grout is a goner.)

I would do a dark grout similar to your fireplace grout.

i prefer the rust.

The gray. Great tile and what is your countertop if you don't mind sharing? I always like darker grout for maintenance purposes if nothing else!!!!

I would do dark grey also as close to the fp grout as possible. The problem is that you'll end up picking the grey your DH said and then he'll look at you and say "I told you so" and you wasted all this time obsessing and he'll walk away with this grin...

At least that's what my DH does :)

Think the dark grey is the way to go. It actually has some greenish tones to it(or so it seems to my inexperienced eye) which blend well with the tile. It seems like the best match to make the grout "disappear".

louisianapurchase, our countertops are Absolute Black Silk granite. Similar to Absolute black honed, but they have a bit of bumpy texture that we really liked.

Casey,

Best to use real samples, but I thought that the Nutmeg #50 would go better than Earth. Earth is too pinky and too light.

But dark grey would be my second choice. It's going to be yummy!

Thanks so much!!

Beautiful tiles (and fireplace too!). I have to say though that the gray looks too cool (as in cool tones vs warm tones of the tile...not cool as in 'wow that looks cool!' ;) to me. The earth isn't quite right either though....what about the mushroom or the Nutmeg suggested earlier?

Another vote for gray! It will match the fireplace nicely, plus won't show wear / splatters at much.

I did not read all the posts but my input is the grey tile will darken if it gets wet. It does dry but to normal color so no really big deal. I have it with white tile in my bathroom so the dirt wasn't as noticeable. I do notice that the grout obviously gets darker with water on it.
Hope this helps!