diff --git a/kstyle/breezehelper.cpp b/kstyle/breezehelper.cpp
index 0d90ff29..d3ae8f31 100644
--- a/kstyle/breezehelper.cpp
+++ b/kstyle/breezehelper.cpp
@@ -22,7 +22,98 @@
 
 #include "breezehelper.h"
 
+#include "breezemetrics.h"
+
+#include <QPainter>
+
 namespace Breeze
 {
+    //____________________________________________________________________
+    Helper::Helper( KSharedConfig::Ptr config ):
+        _config( config )
+    {}
+
+    //____________________________________________________________________
+    KSharedConfigPtr Helper::config() const
+    { return _config; }
+
+    //____________________________________________________________________
+    void Helper::loadConfig()
+    {
+        _viewFocusBrush = KStatefulBrush( KColorScheme::View, KColorScheme::FocusColor, _config );
+        _viewHoverBrush = KStatefulBrush( KColorScheme::View, KColorScheme::HoverColor, _config );
+        _viewNegativeTextBrush = KStatefulBrush( KColorScheme::View, KColorScheme::NegativeText, _config );
+    }
+
+    //______________________________________________________________________________
+    void Helper::invalidateCaches( void )
+    {
+        _scrollBarHandleCache.clear();
+    }
+
+    //____________________________________________________________________
+    void Helper::setMaxCacheSize( int value )
+    {
+        _scrollBarHandleCache.setMaxCost( value );
+    }
+
+    //____________________________________________________________________
+    QColor Helper::alphaColor( QColor color, qreal alpha )
+    {
+        if( alpha >= 0 && alpha < 1.0 )
+        { color.setAlphaF( alpha*color.alphaF() ); }
+        return color;
+    }
+
+    //________________________________________________________________________________________________________
+    TileSet *Helper::scrollBarHandle( const QColor& color, const QColor& glow)
+    {
+
+        const quint64 key( ( colorKey(color) << 32 ) | colorKey(glow) );
+        TileSet *tileSet = _scrollBarHandleCache.object( key );
+
+        if ( !tileSet )
+        {
+
+            QPixmap pm( Metrics::ScrollBar_SliderWidth, Metrics::ScrollBar_SliderWidth );
+            pm.fill( Qt::transparent );
+
+            QPainter p( &pm );
+            p.setRenderHints( QPainter::Antialiasing );
+
+            // content
+            if( color.isValid() )
+            {
+                p.setPen( Qt::NoPen );
+                p.setBrush( color );
+                // p.drawEllipse( QRectF( 0.5, 0.5, Metrics::ScrollBar_SliderWidth-1, Metrics::ScrollBar_SliderWidth-1 ) );
+                p.drawEllipse( QRectF( 0, 0, Metrics::ScrollBar_SliderWidth, Metrics::ScrollBar_SliderWidth ) );
+            }
+
+            // border
+            if( glow.isValid() )
+            {
+                p.setPen( QPen( glow, 2 ) );
+                p.setBrush( Qt::NoBrush );
+                p.drawEllipse( QRectF( 1, 1, Metrics::ScrollBar_SliderWidth-2, Metrics::ScrollBar_SliderWidth-2 ) );
+            }
+
+            p.end();
+
+            // create tileset and return
+            tileSet = new TileSet( pm, Metrics::ScrollBar_SliderWidth/2, Metrics::ScrollBar_SliderWidth/2, 1, 1 );
+            _scrollBarHandleCache.insert( key, tileSet );
+
+        }
+
+        return tileSet;
+    }
+
+    //________________________________________________________________________________________________________
+    TileSet *Helper::scrollBarHole( const QColor& color )
+    {
+        // in the current implementation, holes and handles are rendered with the same code
+        return scrollBarHandle( color, QColor() );
+    }
 
 }
diff --git a/kstyle/breezehelper.h b/kstyle/breezehelper.h
index aba48699..9d9bad3c 100644
--- a/kstyle/breezehelper.h
+++ b/kstyle/breezehelper.h
@@ -23,6 +23,12 @@
  * Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA.
  */
 
+#include "breezetileset.h"
+
+#include <KSharedConfig>
+#include <KColorScheme>
+
+#include <QCache>
 #include <QScopedPointer>
 
 #if HAVE_X11
@@ -32,35 +38,146 @@
 namespace Breeze
 {
 
+    template<typename T> class BaseCache: public QCache<quint64, T>
+    {
+
+        public:
+
+        //! constructor
+        BaseCache( int maxCost ):
+            QCache<quint64, T>( maxCost ),
+            _enabled( true )
+        {}
+
+        //! constructor
+        explicit BaseCache( void ):
+            _enabled( true )
+            {}
+
+        //! destructor
+        ~BaseCache( void )
+        {}
+
+        //! enable
+        void setEnabled( bool value )
+        { _enabled = value; }
+
+        //! enable state
+        bool enabled( void ) const
+        { return _enabled; }
+
+        //! access
+        T* object( const quint64& key )
+        { return _enabled ? QCache<quint64, T>::object( key ) : 0; }
+
+        //! max cost
+        void setMaxCost( int cost )
+        {
+            if( cost <= 0 ) {
+
+                QCache<quint64, T>::clear();
+                QCache<quint64, T>::setMaxCost( 1 );
+                setEnabled( false );
+
+            } else {
+
+                setEnabled( true );
+                QCache<quint64, T>::setMaxCost( cost );
+
+            }
+        }
+
+        private:
+
+        //! enable flag
+        bool _enabled;
+
+    };
+
     //! breeze style helper class.
     /*! contains utility functions used at multiple places in both breeze style and breeze window decoration */
     class Helper
     {
         public:
 
+        //! scoped pointer convenience typedef
+        template <typename T> using ScopedPointer = QScopedPointer<T, QScopedPointerPodDeleter>;
+
         //! constructor
-        explicit Helper()
-        {}
+        explicit Helper( KSharedConfig::Ptr );
 
         //! destructor
         virtual ~Helper()
         {}
 
-        template <typename T> class ScopedPointer: public QScopedPointer<T, QScopedPointerPodDeleter>
-        {
-            public:
+        //! load configuration
+        virtual void loadConfig();
 
-            //! constructor
-            ScopedPointer( T* t ):
-                QScopedPointer<T, QScopedPointerPodDeleter>( t )
-            {}
+        //! pointer to shared config
+        KSharedConfigPtr config() const;
 
-            //! destructor
-            virtual ~ScopedPointer( void )
-            {}
+        //! reset all caches
+        virtual void invalidateCaches();
+
+        //! update maximum cache size
+        virtual void setMaxCacheSize( int );
+
+        //! add alpha channel multiplier to color
+        static QColor alphaColor( QColor color, qreal alpha );
+
+        //!@name brushes
+        //@{
+
+        //! focus brush
+        const KStatefulBrush& viewFocusBrush( void ) const
+        { return _viewFocusBrush; }
+
+        //! hover brush
+        const KStatefulBrush& viewHoverBrush( void ) const
+        { return _viewHoverBrush; }
+
+        //! negative text brush ( used for close button hover )
+        const KStatefulBrush& viewNegativeTextBrush( void ) const
+        { return _viewNegativeTextBrush; }
+
+        //@}
+
+        //!@name tilesets
+        //@{
+
+        //! scrollbar hole
+        TileSet *scrollBarHole( const QColor& );
+
+        //! scrollbar handle
+        TileSet *scrollBarHandle( const QColor&, const QColor& );
+
+        //@}
+
+        protected:
+
+        //! return color key for a given color, properly accounting for invalid colors
+        quint64 colorKey( const QColor& color ) const
+        { return color.isValid() ? color.rgba():0; }
+
+        private:
+
+        //! configuration
+        KSharedConfigPtr _config;
+
+        //!@name brushes
+        //@{
+        KStatefulBrush _viewFocusBrush;
+        KStatefulBrush _viewHoverBrush;
+        KStatefulBrush _viewNegativeTextBrush;
+        //@}
+
+        //!@name tileset caches
+        //@{
 
-        };
+        typedef BaseCache<TileSet> TileSetCache;
+        TileSetCache _scrollBarHandleCache;
 
+        //@}
     };
 
 }