What's on the design wall in January? A Reverse Round the World Quilt!

I have had nothing on my design wall since last September.  Well, those fishies are getting covered up by a new quilt top.  It is a "reverse round the world".  I got this kit from my friend, Caryl, in December.  I think it has been calling my name, so today after I sandwiched my gold and green exploding pineapple baby quilt, I started putting the RRW on the wall.  I must say, I was a tad negative toward a couple of the fabrics.  The maroon and the greyish pieces just look too solid and too bold for the rest of the quilt.  I did some substituting: I removed the maroon barn board fabric and replaced it with some pinkish-maroonish with tangerine mix with tad of lightness. I like that description.  I also replaced the greyish blocks with a similar shade of fabric that had a little pink and green activity on it, so it does not come across so very bold.  See my photos, below.  You can see how checker-boarded the first one looks and how the second one seems to flow together better.  I am leaving the green as it is. 

I have the blocks on the left a tad crowded, due to not
having a wide enough design wall.

This is my second version. I think it looks better.