diff --git a/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-chart-elements.js b/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-chart-elements.js
index e62fd1ab3..003a0c16f 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-chart-elements.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-chart-elements.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import React from 'react';
 import classNames from 'classnames';
 import { connect } from 'react-redux';
 import { fromJS, Map as makeMap, List as makeList } from 'immutable';
+import theme from 'weaveworks-ui-components/lib/theme';
 
 import NodeContainer from './node-container';
 import EdgeContainer from './edge-container';
@@ -199,7 +200,7 @@ class NodesChartElements extends React.Component {
         className={className}
         key="nodes-chart-overlay"
         transform={`scale(${scale})`}
-        fill="#fff"
+        fill={theme.colors.purple25}
         x={-1}
         y={-1}
         width={2}
diff --git a/client/app/styles/_base.scss b/client/app/styles/_base.scss
index 330c244b2..27a43d13e 100644
--- a/client/app/styles/_base.scss
+++ b/client/app/styles/_base.scss
@@ -208,9 +208,9 @@ a {
 }
 
 .header {
+  background-color: transparentize($color-purple-25, 0.2);
   z-index: $layer-front;
   padding: 15px 10px 0;
-  pointer-events: none;
   position: relative;
   width: 100%;
 
@@ -334,7 +334,6 @@ a {
   .topologies-item-main,
   .topologies-sub-item {
     pointer-events: all;
-
     color: $text-secondary-color;
     @extend .btn-opacity;
     cursor: pointer;
@@ -671,7 +670,7 @@ a {
   &-wrapper {
     position: fixed;
     display: flex;
-    z-index: $layer-front;
+    z-index: $layer-toolbar;
     right: $details-window-padding-left;
     top: 100px;
     bottom: 48px;
@@ -1371,9 +1370,11 @@ a {
 
 .status {
   padding: 2px 12px;
+  background-color: $body-background-color;
   border-radius: $border-radius-soft;
   color: $text-secondary-color;
   display: inline-block;
+  opacity: 0.9;
 
   &-icon {
     font-size: $font-size-normal;
diff --git a/client/app/styles/_variables.scss b/client/app/styles/_variables.scss
index 9ec1efc26..79697a188 100644
--- a/client/app/styles/_variables.scss
+++ b/client/app/styles/_variables.scss
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ $base-ease: ease-in-out;
 
 $background-color: $color-gray-50;
 $background-lighter-color: $color-white;
-$background-darker-color: transparentize($color-gray-200, 0.5);
+$background-darker-color: $color-purple-100;
 $background-darker-secondary-color: $color-gray-50;
 $background-dark-color: $color-purple-900;
 $text-color: $color-purple-800;
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ $edge-opacity-blurred: 0.2;
 $edge-opacity: 0.5;
 $edge-color: $color-purple-500;
 
-$btn-opacity-default: 0.7;
+$btn-opacity-default: 0.9;
 $btn-opacity-hover: 1;
 $btn-opacity-selected: 0.9;
 $btn-opacity-disabled: 0.25;