Decorating
Who Knew Grout Could Be This Sexy?
Should you play it safe and go with white grout, or make your kitchen or bathroom zing with black or grey? Let us help you decide
Grout can be an easily overlooked element within a renovation, but if it’s done well it can add that extra detail that makes a room really pop. Over time, grout has grown from its primary role of bonding and filling the space between tiles, to becoming a design element in itself, and the choices – from colour choice, texture, thickness and finish (sanded or non-sanded) are endless. Let’s have a look at some of the different ways grout has been used in these stunning bathrooms and kitchens.
White grout rather than black achieves a fresh, clean look, which is why it appeals to so many people who are renovating their bathrooms. Not using coloured grout also allows other features in a kitchen or bathroom to be the star player – the vanity, in this case. The tiles give a textural background rather than becoming a feature on their own.
Browse more bathrooms with white tiles
Browse more bathrooms with white tiles
Kitchen capers
Black grout makes an impact in this kitchen, this time used in combination with a herringbone tile. The clever choices of joinery handles, light fitting and benchtop finish beautifully complement the mortar and tiles, and really unify the room.
Black grout makes an impact in this kitchen, this time used in combination with a herringbone tile. The clever choices of joinery handles, light fitting and benchtop finish beautifully complement the mortar and tiles, and really unify the room.
Where other bold materials come into play, however, white grout can be the wiser choice.
Going grey
Grey grout accentuates the hexagonal pattern in this design, the tiles creating a feature wall between the timber vanity and mirrored overhead joinery. Without the dark grout, the tiles would blend into the background. Grey can often be the happy medium if black is considered too bold and white too bland.
Grey grout accentuates the hexagonal pattern in this design, the tiles creating a feature wall between the timber vanity and mirrored overhead joinery. Without the dark grout, the tiles would blend into the background. Grey can often be the happy medium if black is considered too bold and white too bland.
Surrounding so many small, round tiles, the dark grey grout gives a patterned, textural feel to this shower, giving the shower walls far greater impact than they otherwise would have.
A matter of black and white
This bold design utilises a minimal white tile palette then adds black highlights throughout. The grout colour and other highlights accentuate the clean, crisp lines throughout the design.
This bold design utilises a minimal white tile palette then adds black highlights throughout. The grout colour and other highlights accentuate the clean, crisp lines throughout the design.
Here is another design using a predominantly white palette with a dark, industrial touch of black running throughout. Spacing the tiles slightly further apart allows the black grout to become more of a feature.
How to clean tile grout
How to clean tile grout
On the other hand, white grout allows a kitchen's cabinet and drawer hardware, lighting and stools to shine.
Marble methods
Beautifully textural, this wall of marble tiles creates a mottled backdrop to the timber vanity unit and mirror cabinetry above. Using dark grout gives the tiled bathroom wall depth and a little drama.
Beautifully textural, this wall of marble tiles creates a mottled backdrop to the timber vanity unit and mirror cabinetry above. Using dark grout gives the tiled bathroom wall depth and a little drama.
In a slightly larger format, white grout allows the shape and tone variation in the marble tiles to play a stronger role.
Dare to be different
This bright and lively bathroom has used similar principles to the bathrooms shown above, but adds a splash of colour. It’s not for the faint-hearted but could be a great addition to an extension or beach house.
This bright and lively bathroom has used similar principles to the bathrooms shown above, but adds a splash of colour. It’s not for the faint-hearted but could be a great addition to an extension or beach house.
When a nearby wall is painted the same colour, coloured grout can be a fun feature.
See more of this house
See more of this house
Coloured grout needn’t always be quirky, of course. Grout in an earthy tone can work well with warm tones of timber used in a kitchen.
YOUR SAY
Have you chosen to have grout stand out? Share an image or tell us about it in the Comments.
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Browse more kitchen photos
YOUR SAY
Have you chosen to have grout stand out? Share an image or tell us about it in the Comments.
MORE
Browse more kitchen photos
Bold yet classic, this bathroom keeps to a minimal white palette yet adds highlights of black through the use of windows, planters, floor tiles and, of course, the grout used between the wall tiles. Black grouts accentuates and frames each tile. It’s a bathroom that could’ve had a sterile aesthetic if it weren’t for the bold splash of black tying all the elements together.