Do you care about the LOOK???

no, only performance matters- the fact that I have considered the Mauve coloured Wyetech Topaz amp for our living room says something :-) Wife doesn't care- "it's ALL ugly" (and I'm paraphrasing) Having said all this, when you have a new baby in the house, limiting factors such as safety can not be avoided...

Damn right I do but only for certain gear. Mains/Center speakers and their respective amps are very important.
Pre-pro and CD players are moderately so. Projectors, surrounds, surround amps, switchers, DVD players, cables, tuners, etc are not important.

I like my electronics and speakers visible in open racks and amp stands so design is important to me.

JM Lab's new Electras are the most gorgeous speakers right now. I'm sure they sound beautiful too. My wallet diagrees though :)

A definite "YES".

I will never consider buying an item if the look is not up to my expectation.

Just imagine that u're spending your time relaxing, listening & at the same time appreciating a beautiful pair of speaker, same apply to equipment.

I have broken through the "matched black box barrier"--looks matter & some good designers realize that.

Well maybe it's a ''really nice piece of gear with a great personality and after all it's what's inside that counts....when the looks go what do you have'' ......words from a single audiophile man.