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Starter Block Theme

Aviendha: the lean starter behind custom WordPress themes

A free full-site-editing theme with a design system, WooCommerce templates and no bundled patterns. It is made to be forked, so a client theme starts clean instead of from a library to strip out.

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Why a starter theme, not another theme

Most block themes ship with dozens of patterns. That is fine until a client needs their own design: then every pattern is something to restyle or delete, and the theme still looks like the theme.

Aviendha starts from the other end. It gives you the parts that are the same on every site (a design system in theme.json, working WooCommerce templates, two page templates, style variations) and leaves the pages to you. Block-first composition means nothing gets in the way of the client’s design.

What is in the starter theme

Design system in theme.json

Colors, typography, spacing, layout and border radii live in one file. The color slugs match what Aludra’s block styles expect, so those blocks work in any fork.

WooCommerce templates

Single product, product archive, product search and coming-soon are theme-provided, with a results count, sorting and a filter sidebar. Cart and checkout use WooCommerce’s own block templates on purpose.

Clean without WooCommerce

With the plugin inactive, the store templates and the header mini cart are filtered out instead of rendering as broken blocks.

Two page templates

The default page omits the post title, since most pages get theirs from a block’s own heading. A second template adds the conventional title treatment.

Style variations

Twilight is a dark look with a rose accent. Store is a warm, editorial one with a serif display face. Both map onto the same design system, checked against WCAG AA.

No bundled patterns

Core’s patterns stay available so the inserter is never empty. Add your own patterns in the fork, composed from the client’s mockup.

Three looks, one starter

Aviendha ships two style variations next to its default look, all on the same design system. Switch them under Appearance, Editor, Styles. Here is the hero of the demo home page in each.

Aviendha default look: a dark plum hero with a crimson button and a performance chart card on the right

Default
Dark plum hero on a cream page, with a crimson accent.

Aviendha Store variation: a charcoal hero with a serif headline, a rust-orange button and a performance chart card on the right

Store
Cream and charcoal with a rust-orange brand color, in self-hosted Cormorant Garamond and Jost.

Aviendha Twilight variation: a rose hero with a coral button and a dark performance chart card on the right

Twilight
A dark page with a rose hero and a lime accent.

Themes that started as Aviendha

Aviendha is a GitHub template repository. A fork runs a rename workflow that swaps every identifier, from CSS prefixes to the text domain, so the new theme is its own project from the first commit. Two public themes came out of it:

  • Marin: a WooCommerce theme with a finished store home page and three style variations.
  • Ixian: a theme for service businesses and SaaS companies, with a public demo.

Client themes are built the same way: fork, rename, set the palette and fonts in theme.json, then write the pages from an approved mockup.

Two ways to use Aviendha

Use it yourself

Free, GPL v3

What you get
The theme from GitHub or Composer, with a rename workflow for forks.

Best for
Developers and agencies who want a lean FSE base.

Have it built for you

Fixed-price quote, from €695

What you get
Your own FSE theme forked from Aviendha: your brand, your fonts, about six pages and a design mockup you approve first.

Best for
Businesses that want a theme of their own, not a restyled template.

Smaller jobs, such as restyling an existing theme with your brand, start from €299. Full custom FSE builds start from €2,500. See the full build ladder.

For the developers: requirements and install

Source: github.com/imagewize/aviendha. Aviendha needs WordPress 6.6 or later and PHP 8.0 or later, and is tested up to WordPress 7.1. WooCommerce and the Aludra block plugin are optional.

composer require imagewize/aviendha
composer require imagewize/aludra   # optional

To start a theme of your own, press “Use this template” on GitHub, then run Actions, “Rename theme from template”. It opens a pull request that replaces the CSS prefixes, PHP namespace and function prefix, text domain and package names with your repository’s name.

Frequently asked questions

  • Is Aviendha free? Yes. Aviendha is open source under the GPL v3. You can download it from GitHub or install it with Composer. A custom theme built from it is a paid, fixed-price project.
  • Why does Aviendha have no patterns? It is a starter theme, meant to be forked. Patterns are design decisions, so a fork gets the ones that match the client’s brand instead of a library to strip out first. Core’s own patterns stay available, and Aludra blocks can be inserted directly.
  • Do I need the Aludra plugin? No. Aviendha is a plain block theme that works with core blocks and any block plugin. Aludra adds a mega menu, carousel, FAQ tabs and more, and is recommended but optional.
  • How is Aviendha different from Elayne? Elayne is a finished business theme with a large pattern library and industry verticals. Aviendha is the opposite: a minimal base with a design system and WooCommerce templates, made to become a theme of its own.
  • What does a custom theme built from Aviendha cost? Standard builds start at €695: your own FSE theme forked from Aviendha, with your palette and fonts and about six pages. You get a fixed-price quote within one business day, before anything starts.

Want a theme of your own?

Tell me about the business and the pages you need. You get a fixed-price quote within one business day, and a design mockup to approve before any building starts.

Get a fixed-price quote