Fernlight is a full-site-editing block theme for writers. This guide takes you from a fresh install to a styled site built from patterns — no code, no page builder.

1. Install and activate

1. In your WordPress admin, go to Appearance → Themes → Add New → Upload Theme.
2. Choose fernlight.zip and click Install Now, then Activate.

Fernlight needs WordPress 6.6+ and PHP 7.4+. That's it — the design is driven by the theme itself, so there's nothing else to configure to get a clean, readable site.

2. Pick a style variation

Fernlight ships with seven palettes. To switch:

1. Go to Appearance → Editor.
2. Open Styles (the half-moon icon).
3. Click Browse styles and choose one: Sage (default), Clay, Dusk, Ink, Sky, Warm Sand, or Dark.

Because every pattern uses semantic color roles, switching a variation re-skins the whole site — patterns, buttons, surfaces, and text all update together. Dark mode is just the Dark variation.

3. Build a page from patterns

1. Create a page: Pages → Add New.
2. Click the + inserter and open the Patterns tab.
3. Browse the Fernlight categories — Editorial, Page sections, Post parts, Archive — and click a pattern to drop it in.
4. Start with a hero, add editorial sections, finish with a newsletter or closing call to action.

Prefer a head start? Insert one of the full-page layouts (Page: About, Now, Resources, Work with me, Contact, Long-form essay, or Start here) and replace the placeholder copy. These layouts are locked to "content only," so you edit the words without accidentally breaking the structure.

4. Set your homepage and menus

• Homepage: Build a page, then set it under Settings → Reading → Your homepage displays → A static page.
• Menus / header / footer: Go to Appearance → Editor → Patterns → Template Parts (or edit the Header and Footer parts directly) to adjust navigation, logo, and footer.

5. Write a long-form post

Open a new post and use the Post parts patterns for a polished article: a Lead paragraph 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 at the end.

6. (Optional) Install the companion plugin

For extra editorial blocks — a platform-agnostic newsletter sign-up, post callouts, a post hero, a styled pull quote, a related-posts grid, and a divider — install Fernlight Companion:

1. Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
2. Upload fernlight-companion.zip, Install, then Activate.

The plugin is entirely optional. Fernlight works fully without it; the companion blocks simply add a few more editorial options.

Tips

• The reading measure is 720px by default — long-form text stays comfortable. Use wide and full alignment for images and section bands.
• Set a custom logo and site colors under Appearance → Editor → Styles to make Fernlight yours without touching code.
• Every pattern is shown live in the Pattern Library if you want to browse before you build.