I am considering simple-press.  There are several things that I really like and these are primarily features.   I would be going the paid route to take advantage of the addons but a few things make me pause. 

I appreciate that a lot of work has gone into the development here and I don't mean to be insulting just informative for myself.  The default styling seems to lack an elegance and contemporary look/feel.  Is there a showcase anywhere of sites using simple-press that have improved styling? I tried the forum but I'm blocked by a paywall which seems unnecessary for a showcase?