Kitchen tile panic - please help!

[MotherBluestocking]

OK here's the thing.
Big north-facing kitchen, not a lot of natural light, but new lighting scheme makes up for this.
Island in Farrow and Ball Pelt. Other cabinetry in Skimming Stone. Walls Wevet. Worktop in Carrara marble-effect quartz. Limestone floor - yellow, apricot, grey tones.
Am only tiling the chimney breast alcove where the (black) range cooker is going. Had planned to have Welbeck Jellies tiles, so cream/charcoal.
My question is this: will the cream tiles with grey-tinged paintwork and work surfaces make both look grubby? Would I be better with white or pale grey?
Help help help - I have had to make so many decisions in the last few days that my brain has ceased to function.

[coraltoes]

In my opinion grey and cream don't work... One is warm, the other cool. We have a basement kitchen in same colours: we vet, strong white and a Carrara dining table. We both share impeccable taste! ;)

Have you tested that flooring for stains btw? My friends are ripping out their limestone floor due to grease marks in kitchen. I have limestone bedroom furniture (tops of bedsides) and they do mark easily. I assume floor tiles come coated though...?!

[MotherBluestocking]

Congratulations on your excellent taste! I think I agree with you. Now to sell lime green glass to my husband.
Limestone is sealed. Was going to get porcelain but kitchen designer said the real thing is better in every way.

[noddyholder]

I had a cream and grey kitchen in one of my projects which I loved but had pale mustard tiles which really worked

[MotherBluestocking]

Perhaps it comes down to the contrast? I think it's when the colours are too pale that they make each other look discoloured.

[coraltoes]

Fab, good to hear about sealing. Wish they had been advised the same. We have really bright yellow as our "colour" and petrol blue elsewhere (hard to explain). Lime green sounds good too. Maybe get a heap of samples and put them up against the walls to see. teal works well, hot pink, orange too.

[noddyholder]

cdn.home-designing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Grey-mustard-yellow-modern-kitchen.jpg Citrine looks great with grey really elegant

[MotherBluestocking]

Love the yellow kitchen - but am going for more of a 'heritage industrial' look. I think on reflection lime would be too contemporary. What do you think of soft mustard? Would zing with the aubergine island, non?

[noddyholder]

Soft mustard is what I had It was a painted kitchen mid grey Antimony loved it

[noddyholder]

The fired earth bonbon tiles in lime are a true citrine not acid more classic look amazing with pelt. I like that dull apricot colour too if you want to pull a colour from the floor

[MotherBluestocking]

Noddy, those bonbon tiles are beyond divine but I don't think I could convince the spouse. Was looking at Marrakech in honey - what do you think?

[coraltoes]

That's our shade of yellow!! Didn't realise it had a name... Marimekko have some good fabrics with it for blinds.

[MotherBluestocking]

I think we must be astrological twins! Will check out Marimekko.

[noddyholder]

Love the Marrakech.

[MotherBluestocking]

I think it would really zing with the aubergine island. Seriously tempted. Will be an area of 1m square plus returns, which I don't think would be overpowering.

[noddyholder]

Is it behind the range?

[burnishedsilver]

I wouldnt put cream with grey, personally.

Your kitchen reminds me of this one that I saw in a magazine recently. I thought it might help you visualise if its not fitted yet.

[MotherBluestocking]

Yes, behind the range.
Burnished - absolutely, very similar in terms of cabinetry and colours. But I'm going for a less clinical feel, with copper light fittings and warmer tones on the floor and woodwork.
Spouse actually like the lime bon bon! So will pop down to Fired Earth in the morning and get some lime and honey to go with my aubergine.

[noddyholder]

I don't agree about grey and cream. I had a house years ago with a big grand hall I kept dithering about the floor as it was black and white checkerboard and even though it was right and people thought I should leave it I re did in grey and cream check instead and it was lovely. I think white too 80s looking cream more industrial definitely. Glad he liked the tiles they look striking up

[noddyholder]

Copper lights would be fab with the tiles

[MotherBluestocking]

Thanks so much for your help! Slight preference on balance for the lime, but I will try out the honey, in the knowledge that whichever I go for has the Mumsnet seal of approval. Am firmly quashing the rising tide of anxiety about my cream kettle and toaster. As I said earlier, I think the problem with grey and cream is when the tones are too similar. Definitely when I tested Dimity (v pale cream) it and the worktop did nothing for one another.

[MotherBluestocking]

Went to Fired Earth this morning and picked up lime and honey. Both gorgeous. Because of the thickness of the Marrakech tile, if we use this we will only be able to tile the back of the recess and not the returns; if we use bon bon we can do both. Do you think it's a problem not to tile the returns? I'm quite a messy cook ...

[noddyholder]

For look its not that important if the cooker is right in the recess (although I prefer it on the eye) but for cooking splashed definitely do the reveals

[MotherBluestocking]

Thanks! And another question - metro tiles - are they on the way out?

[noddyholder]

I think they are classic in the right setting but people who put them in in the last 2-3 years and are taking them out again probably follow trends in interiors tbh. I have used them since the 90s and still like them esp the fired earth ones. You can tile them random if you prefer although I am a bit OCD about symmetry so like the classic layout or square on.

[noddyholder]

www.houzz.com/photos/45350/San-Jose-Res-2-traditional-kitchen-san-francisco