When we bought our house three-and-a-half years ago, one of the biggest selling points was the kitchen. It was so spacious with a really practical layout, solid wood cabinets, a huge kitchen island with lots of storage, and even a walk-in pantry. As a professional recipe developer, where the kitchen is basically my office, it was a total dream. The only hitch was that, aesthetically, it totally wasn’t our taste.
We knew we’d update the kitchen eventually — and the time finally came earlier this year. Because kitchen renovations are such an investment, I labored over every single decision and detail before any work got started, so that all the components — from the creamy quartz countertops and the kitchen cabinet paint color, to the backsplash and the lighting — all work together cohesively. But despite my spreadsheets and Canva boards, there was one tiny detail I barely gave any thought to, and I regret it every single day: the grout color I chose.
I realized the day before the tile installer was set to begin work that I had yet to pick out and purchase the grout to be used for our zellige-style tile backsplash. I hadn’t given it much thought and my husband gave it no thought whatsoever, and at the eleventh hour we decided on a creamy white that wasn’t too bright. I zipped to the tile store first thing in the morning, spent all of two minutes looking at the grout samples against a few pieces of my tile, and made a decision. At this point in the process, with much of the update complete, it’s important to note that I felt bogged down with decision fatigue from all the choices already made.
As soon as the backsplash was installed and the grout was dry I knew I had made a mistake. The grout was gleaming white! It looked nowhere close to the soft, creamy shade I had hoped for. Safe to say I was devastated, and mostly mad at myself for being so hasty and not giving this small detail more time and energy. (For what it’s worth, it doesn’t bother my husband, but it still annoys me.)
Grout color is such a small detail but still wildly important. You see it everywhere you look in the kitchen. While I don’t totally hate it, I really regret giving it so little thought. If I were to do it over, I’d totally give the grout color more consideration to choose a shade that’s a little warmer and not so bright.
While I don’t love the shade of the grout color, it’s definitely not an eyesore, and it doesn’t impede on the function of anything in the kitchen. So I’m living with it, trying not to notice it, and learning from my mistake.
Do you regret any part of your kitchen? Let us know in the comments below!