sarapamela, are the "dove white" "white dove" colors getting mixed in your mind? I know they do mine! What brand are you talking about? I know SW AND BM have one and the other. But, what is "dove white" at BM is not like "white dove", or did I mix that up too? One brand is creamier, one is whiter. I have SW dove white (or is it white dove) on my trim, and it seems a lot whiter to me than BM other. Is that confusing enough? I'm very anxious to hear what color/brand you go with, I'm in the process of choosing as well. But I DID notice that in your first post, you called it BM's white dove, and then in the choice post, you called it dove white. So, is there a difference in choice? Or just words? LOL Crazy paint makers and their names!

Ah, a topic I may be able to help out with. We recently installed off the shelf (Lowe's) white subway tile. The brand is American Olean (not sure about the spelling!). I remember reading in a magazine that in a white kitchen there should be varying shades of white to keep it from looking sterile, just as someone mentioned above. When my husband installed it he and my mom both liked how it looked: as if it had been grouted with gray grout. I knew I didn't like this look but was almost talked into it. I mention this because of your previous statement "i have always loved the white subway with white grout look, but i donno, with the different shades, i might have to try something else, and that really worries me because i am detouring from what i originally like. " Stick to what you like or you won't be happy. I almost went with gray grout. Perhaps it may look better or more appealing but it is not the look I'm going for. And since you've mentioned that you are worried about the shade of white you've chosen change it now before it's too late. I personally think it will look great but being that you are questioning it makes me think it is not really what you want and are hoping to be talked into liking it. But if you stick with your tile I wouldn't go with a cream grout but rather one that matches the tile and blends nicely. To answer your question In my opinion the color of the grout makes a difference. Just look at kitchens with white subway with gray grout vs white grout and you'll see what I mean. I don't think an off white grout will make it blend with the cabinets better, it could make it look soiled. White will make it look whiter but IMO cleaner. I say keep the backdrop (backsplash) simple. As someone mentioned above you will have things on the counter to break it up. I plan on putting more items on our counters and the gray grout for me would be too busy. Not to mention I'm not the tidiest-so I need everything else to be simple. I sure hope I did't confuse you! Here are pics of our off white cabinet, BM moonlight white, though not quite as creamy as yours, with white subway tile and bright white grout. Below is a link to segbrowns kitchen. I think the pewter grout in this kitchen looks great because of all the other elements. But with such creamy cabinets as yours I'm not sure about gray/pewter grout. Gray grout look (before grouted). My cabinets look quite stark here but are really creamier in person. Hopefully you can see a difference in the shade of the cabinets compared to the white subway-it is hard to capture in a pic! Here is a link that might be useful: segbrowns kitchen

Thanks to all for your recommendations! I have only made it to the Benjamin Moore store but did buy a LOT of samples. I painted my samples on 1/2 size sheets of poster board to see which ones I liked the best. Of those, I painted my top 4 colors on foam board which is really easy to prop up with my tile and granite samples. So far, I'm really liking the BM Bone White and BM Frappe. The warmer colors seem to work best with our lighting and dining/living areas. Thanks again! ~Des

I will be happy not to push the DW around every day, or move the trash can and cat bowls to access cabinets, or banging my arm on the microwave that sits on a cart that sticks out into the doorway. I also wanted to move the stove away from the bathroom door. If I'm cooking and someone is in there I am at least 15 extra inches way from them. I had to keep reducing my storage space in order to get the functionality that I was looking for (such as long stretches of open counter, microwave above the counter). Although I hated to lose 1 square inch I finally had to prioritize those things that would affect me every DAY when I use the kitchen versus storage for things that I use once a week, once a month or even once a year. So I will be storing some less often used things a little further away, maybe even in the garage, but the DAILY use stuff is easier. I know you have a budget cap and moving things around will start to eat it up fast, but consider trying to do things that will affect you all the time, even if you have to sacrifice some storage space. Which would you rather do, roll the dishwasher in and connect it every day, or bring the breadmaker in from the garage/basement twice a year...they're not comparable, but I think you get my point. Think about what annoys you DAILY and spend your money on that. On another note I can commiserate with you on not being able to discuss things with DH. In my case it's DW. When we started this project I just assumed she would be very interested in every detail. I quickly discovered I couldn't hold her attention with kitchen stuff for more than about 30 seconds. Who would have thought I would have married the one woman who's not interested in colors, design, styles (just kidding). But then my wife and I are a little backwards...we often joke about how we kind of reverse stereotypical roles. Anyway I found Gardenweb and I had an outlet for my desire to talk about all things kitchen... Of course I never really had to argue about anything because she would go along with whatever I wanted...so it's all good. :) - Jim