From a fresh install to a styled site built from patterns — no code, no page builder. New to the theme itself? See the Theme overview first.
1. Install & activate
- In WordPress admin, go to Appearance → Themes → Add New → Upload Theme.
- Choose
fernlight.zip, click Install Now, then Activate. (Requires WordPress 6.7+ and PHP 8.0+.)
Faster start: open Appearance → Fernlight for a guided wizard — pick a style in one click, browse patterns, and optionally import the bundled starter content (home, About, Start Here, and three sample posts) so you begin from a finished-looking site. The same screen has a performance diagnostic and a Figma token export.
2. Pick a style
Go to Appearance → Editor → Styles → Browse styles and choose a look. Switching a variation re-skins the whole site at once. Full detail in Design & Customize.
3. Build a page from patterns
- Create a page: Pages → Add New.
- Click the + inserter, open the Patterns tab, and browse the Fernlight categories.
- Start with a hero, add editorial sections, finish with a newsletter or closing call to action.
Prefer a head start? Insert a full-page layout (About, Now, Resources, Work with me, Contact, Long-form essay, or Start here) and replace the placeholder copy — these are locked to “content only,” so you edit the words without breaking the structure.
4. Set your homepage & menus
- Homepage: build a page, then set it under Settings → Reading → A static page. Fernlight's front-page treatment opens straight on the hero instead of a page title.
- Menu: in Appearance → Editor, edit the Header to set navigation. Keep it tight — five or six top-level items reads best; nest related links into a submenu.
- Footer: under Editor → Patterns → Template Parts → Footer, update the sitemap links, copyright, and social icons.
- Logo & site icon: add a Site Logo block in the header; set a browser-tab icon under Settings → General → Site Icon (square, 512×512+).
5. Write a long-form post
Open a new post and use the Post parts patterns for a polished article: a Lead to open, pull quotes and full-bleed figures to break up the text, a Table of contents, References, an Author bio, and a Continue reading row.
6. Add the Companion (optional)
For extra editorial blocks and reading enhancements, install Fernlight Companion via Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin. Entirely optional — see what it adds on the Companion page.
FAQ & troubleshooting
Do I need the Companion plugin?
No. Fernlight is complete on its own; the Companion only adds optional editorial blocks and reading enhancements.
Is Fernlight free?
Yes — GPL-2.0-or-later, and coming free to WordPress.org.
A shortcode is showing as plain text
The plugin that provides that shortcode is inactive. Activate it (e.g. Fernlight Companion), or remove the shortcode block.
My patterns aren't showing
Make sure Fernlight is the active theme, then look under Design → Patterns or the inserter's Patterns tab.
Fonts look wrong or didn't load
Fernlight's fonts are self-hosted in the theme. After an update, confirm the files uploaded completely and clear any caching plugin or CDN cache.
A style variation didn't change everything
After choosing a variation in Editor → Styles, click Save, then clear your cache. Per-block custom changes can override a variation.
How do I turn on dark mode?
For colors that follow each visitor's system setting, enable automatic dark mode under Appearance → Fernlight → Settings (off by default). To make the site dark for everyone, choose the Dark style variation. Both pass WCAG AA.
How do I import the starter content?
Install the free WordPress Importer (Tools → Import), then import from Appearance → Fernlight → Demo Content. It adds a home, About, and Start Here page plus three sample posts; then set your homepage under Settings → Reading.
Contact-form emails aren't arriving
Check spam first. On shared hosting, default PHP mail is unreliable — routing your form plugin through authenticated SMTP fixes most delivery problems.
Still stuck? Get in touch — or see the Developer reference for the technical detail.