Which essa colour have you chosen? The grout line of subway tiles is a key focus, so I understand your concern regarding keeping them clean. If they are dirty it will take away from the entire look. But who says the grout should be white. If your stone has aggregate or is a colour, then so too can the grout be. Colored grout is an intentional focus, and will add another dimension to simple tiling. Short of bleaching or reinstating the grout every so often, nothing will keep it white permanently. Minimize grout lines on splash backs for practicality, but that is the whole reason you actually do artistic and decorative tiling on splash backs in the first place. It's one thing for us designers to specify beautiful and complex materials, which can sometimes be impractical in real environments, there are reasons we like certain finishes, and we are all dictated by style trends and images that appeal to us. Subway tiles are popular, but we don't have to clean them! My tip, have dark coloured grout lines or none at all.

Really not familiar with this product but it’s beautiful and I love it. If it’s man made like ceasarstone then it will be more durable than the real thing. Example Real marble is beautiful but totally porous vs ceasarstone that’s not .

Contact “granite transformations “. There is a lot of money in that bench top, but I agree, it is way too busy. Maybe the new wooden floors may lesson that busy look, as I think the white floor tiles are making it worse. I have used Granite Transformations to cover over a dated laminate bench, I know they could do the same for your stone bench. https://granitetransformations.com.au/

We’re going through this same dilemma at the moment! My current favourite for the bench top is YDL Stone Classic White. Maybe Dulux Vivid White for the cabinets?