diff --git a/pd/nw/css/default.css b/pd/nw/css/default.css
index 42435aea318a66dcf28e44a103606f716094d96d..54f2e75447e51b418872c4d119409363656689c1 100644
--- a/pd/nw/css/default.css
+++ b/pd/nw/css/default.css
@@ -50,11 +50,13 @@
 }
 
 .cord.signal {
-    stroke-width: 2
+    stroke-width: 2;
+    stroke: #808095;
 }
 
 .cord.control {
-    stroke-width: 1
+    stroke-width: 1;
+    stroke: #565;
 }
 
 #new_object_textentry {
@@ -71,7 +73,7 @@
 }
 
 #new_object_textentry.obj {
-    outline: 1px solid #000;
+    outline: 1px solid blue;
 }
 
 #new_object_textentry.msg {
@@ -102,11 +104,27 @@ text {
     stroke-width: 1;
 }
 
+.msg .border {
+    stroke: #ccc;
+    fill: #f8f8f6;
+}
+
 /* state of msg box when clicking it */
 .msg.flashed .border {
     stroke-width: 4;
 }
 
+/* atom box */
+.atom .border {
+    stroke: #ccc;
+    fill: #eee;
+}
+
+.obj .border {
+    fill: #f6f8f8;
+    stroke: #ccc;
+}
+
 /* border color for selected objects
       * an element with the class 'border'
       * the element is contained within a parent element of class 'selected'
@@ -126,7 +144,7 @@ text {
 }
 
 /* for an object that didn't create */
-.broken_border {
+.obj .border.broken_border {
     fill: #f7f7f7;
     stroke: red;
     stroke-dasharray: 3 2;
@@ -225,7 +243,6 @@ input[type="number"]{
     width:3em;
 }
 
-
 label {
     text-align: right;
 }
diff --git a/pd/nw/pdgui.js b/pd/nw/pdgui.js
index 88e70ccf4a4ad0618db0410cd770b439080f88ca..a1b783243915356e9bde85fa3688dc79b3d137ea 100644
--- a/pd/nw/pdgui.js
+++ b/pd/nw/pdgui.js
@@ -1952,8 +1952,8 @@ function gui_text_drawborder(cid, tag, bgcolor, isbroken, x1, y1, x2, y2) {
     var rect = create_item(cid, 'rect', {
         width: x2 - x1,
         height: y2 - y1,
-        stroke: 'black',
-        fill: 'none',
+        //stroke: 'black', // done in css now
+        //fill: 'none', // done in css now
         'shape-rendering': 'crispEdges',
         class: 'border'
     });
@@ -2110,7 +2110,7 @@ function gui_canvas_line(cid,tag,type,p1,p2,p3,p4,p5,p6,p7,p8,p9,p10) {
     var path = create_item(cid, 'path', {
         d: d_array.join(" "),
         fill: 'none',
-        stroke: 'gray',
+//        stroke: 'gray', // done in css now
 //        'stroke-width': 1,
         'shape-rendering': 'optimizeSpeed',
         id: tag,