Never, never, never use ceramic tiles that are not white - this is a rule that I have lived by all my adult life. I have NEVER (until today) used any other colour.

When we chose the tiles for the kitchen we were worried about them fading into the white work surfaces that we had also chosen so we looked at black and white but thought they would be too stark. So, we hit on grey and black - we're more than a little pleased with the results!

We're so close now to the final hurdle in the kitchen - today eight builders have been blitzing the remaining jobs, leaving only a few tidying up bits before they leave us for good. It's been a complete hive of activity down there all day.