Yeah, we kind of stole their saints' day and made it a festival of writing, we usually fundraise for charity for it as well
I see what you mean about the logo - the parchment background does make the Exilian text stand out more, I guess? We need to do more design & update work on the site generally, but I'm a pants designer and I'm quite stretched keeping things running most of the time
As for the image, I guess I'd say it depends if you want a "warm" or "cold" feel to the house. If you want a colder, emptier feel, I'd make the wood colours paler - if you want a "sleepy but lived in" feel, maybe a warmer palette for the pans and the oven, which currently look very much like the moonlit palette outside.