In addition, you'll note that the mold growth is darker and heavier near the bottom of the wall.

Here in the desert I go with a reddish-brown tile that matches our dirt, and a darker grout.

The original plan was to paint the exterior a light green with white fascia, but one of the neighbors supposedly harassed my handyman today because the sample of the green I put on the outside too closely resembles the shade of green on his house (they're different shades and he was totally out of line, but he's not totally without merit).  

Wow, that certainly is an 'interesting' feature there...my first viable thought would be to use another shade of wood and make it look purposeful. 

Of course, darker colors will make a room appear smaller and we never want to simulate that effect.  

I happen to live about a quarter mile from one of the black shaded areas on the map.

Vinca  is a good shade vine and we had it on our front lawn and it worked well. 

I'm picturing an advertisement with you in a black Secret Service type suit, wearing dark shades, and striking a James Bond or Charlie's Angels type pose while holding one of those guns with the flags that says "BANG"....except of course yours would say:

If still considering stained concrete you can do a border in a complementary(darker) color to hide the nasty bit from the tack strip repair.

I like to contrast the countertop with a darker tone.