I also prefer the first one -
because all the fabrics have some "blue" in them - and the prints/colors seem compatible with each other to me. The light color also puts some definition and the "rails" back into the piece. It gives my eyes a bit of a path to follow while looking at it.
Why I don't like the second one as much - the changed out fabric is the only one that has any "yellow" in it - and feels "jarring" to me. It also seems to "blur" everything into one big mish-mash. All the fabrics read as "medium" to me except for the dark bluish-red squares.
(You did ask for opinions - - - - )
The important opinion is yours -
