Laura, white doesn't get any dirtier than any other colour, it is just you see it, just like dark colours show dust and fluff. If you get a good steam mop, it is easy to keep them clean. I always enjoy going into a home with white floors and surfaces because you can instantly see how clean it is. It is also the same reason carpets get a build up of muck in them, because people don't always see the dirt and dust so don't bother vacuuming. My carpets are very well vacuumed regularly and my old carpet of 45 years had nothing underneath it at all when it was replaced.

Here's a video of an area of water damaged bamboo being removed and replaced Joyzzz. Maybe you'll consider replacing the area in front of your fridge. Like you I also have bamboo in the kitchen (and pot plants throughout the house), but haven't had any issues with spills marking the floor. It's a shame there's so much variation in the manufacturing process resulting in some floors tolerating spills and others not at all. I do have a damaged board though thanks to a guest leaving a tap running causing an overflow...that I wasn't told about until days later, grrr. Fortunately the damage is in a shadowed corner and the sealer is still intact, so it isn't noticeable, just a wrinkled surface to the touch. Which is lucky, because our home is earth-covered and there is nowhere for water to drain out of the sub-floor as we "tanked" it with a sealer to ensure no moisture can make its way in. That board sat there in a puddle for days! I still wonder why only one board suffered damage, very strange...

Samantha Hammer, very excited for you getting a new kitchen! I waited 14 years to finally get my new kitchen and am in love with it... the kitchen we had before didn’t function at all and was all brown with salmon pink benchtops and very enclosed and depressing! We knocked down a wall and totally redesigned the entire layout. (the first two kitchen places I had out to give me a quote totally mocked my design and told me I had to stick to the layout I had. The third place built the kitchen to exactly the plans and measurement that I drew up myself and I am so glad I stuck to my guns and persisted until I found a kitchen place that listened to me!) Now we have a kitchen that is bright and open and I love! Stick to your guns when it comes to your new kitchen and go with what you want and what you believe works best for you! :)

Sounds like a very stressful situation! If there is absolutely no way the builder will allow you to change things (even if they did, I imagine they would ask you to foot the entire bill of pulling the tiles down and replacing all water proofing in addition to new tiles), I can make a few suggestions for improvement. Firstly I would suggest replacing the tiles above the vanity with a white mosaic, a patterned or a textured feature tile/strip. You could also use this same tile to replace the vertical feature in the shower. There are some beautiful shapes and sizes available to choose from. Secondly I would address the grout situation in this way: Floor - dark colour grout & Walls - Light colour grout. Lastly if it does not prove too difficult or expensive, maybe replace the tiles below the vanity with a plain white tile (could be similar size). Good luck and I am sure once you have a lovely mirror up and some crisp white towels, it will look just wonderful.