The truth behind why interior designers are ready to leave the black grout trend behind lies in the inconvenience of the fad.
In one of their videos, the YouTuber DIY with KB, also known as Kiva Brent, comments on the impracticality of this design trend, saying that the dark color of the grout easily lends itself to looking dirty (via YouTube). With grout cleaning TikTok hacks coming out of the woodwork, or perhaps tilework, those with tiled kitchens or bathrooms know that regular grout maintenance can be a strain, so it's no wonder that interior designers want to leave behind a trend that potentially emphasizes this ongoing cleaning issue.
Another maintenance issue that is specific to the black grout trend is its tendency to fade. As mentioned on Home Like You Mean It, grout that has been both cleaned and sealed will still lose its color over time. In fact, if this design is featured in a well-used bathroom, it can start to fade in just a couple of months. Of course, there are methods for slowing or avoiding black grout fade, but it's just another element of this design trend that makes it a little more impractical.
