tile files: is dark grout here to stay?

As I mentioned yesterday, at last weekend's IDS I got the chance to check out a presentation by Tommy Smythe & Suzanne Dimma, two of my favourite faces in Canadian design. The talk was about solutions to common dilemmas (low ceilings, awkward nooks, no storage, etc), and was hilarious and whip smart from start to finish. 

Yet even though their main points were interesting, it was a casual remark on Tommy's part that caught my attention most. While talking about a particular tiny bathroom, he noted "oh and notice the dark grout. I think it's pretty obvious that look is here to stay".

{ 1 | 2}

I was surprised. Don't get me wrong, I love dark grout with white tiles. A lot. I adore the way that it emphasizes the pattern, the way it references French bistros of old, and the way it prevents grout from starting to look old and dingy/dirty because it's clear the colour is uniform and is supposed to look that way. 

But grout that matches the tile has been viewed as the way to go for a donkey's age, and this contrasting look only took the design world by storm recently. It has all the signs of being a trend (a sudden appearance in a million new spaces and being touted on every blog and in every magazine as being a look to love) so I'd always assumed it was one.

The fact that he was so matter of fact makes me wonder: was I completely off the mark? Is this look one of the magic few that will make the transition from fad to design staple? And if so, are we only talking the more subtle variations . . .

{via}

{via}

. . . or the slightly more pronounced as well?

{via}

{1 | 2}

What about the crazy dark and crazy thick? Will this kitchen be just as relevant in 20 years as it is now?

{via}

Or will design-lovers walking into this space be able to pinpoint the exact period that the homeowners took a trend - whose subtler version has stuck around - and just plain went with it.

I'll be so curious to see. I'm crossing my fingers that Tommy is right - are you?