Yeah, I avoided the white like the plague for the same reasons. (Who gets a WHITE bird cage? Yikes!)

In my experience, the light grey has enough color that the poop and flung wet foods don't show up glaringly, but it's also a light enough color that it doesn't stand out much. My fear with the charcoal was that it would be a big, black cage that really drew the eye.

I am very happy with the platinum (or whatever it's called). If you'd like, you can stop by and take a look at it again before you order yours. :)