Palette Tour and Layout Switches
The starter now shows how the same structure can feel different through palette choices and sidebar toggles.
home.exe
Retro Garden // IndieWeb x 90s personal site mixtape
A garden for dial-up charm and modern publishing parts.
Build a small web home with RSS, WebC components, OG cards, share links, markdown posting, and accessible defaults without sanding off the weird edges that make personal sites memorable.
View source friendly
Readable templates, markdown posts, and shortcodes you can actually edit.
Accessible by default
Skip links, strong focus rings, reduced motion guards, and contrast that holds up.
Personal-site energy
Badge walls, retro chrome, webring vibes, and room for personality over polish.
journal/
Latest entries
Fresh notes from the Retro Garden demo
The Small-Web Toolkit
A quick tour of the pieces that make this starter feel current without sanding off its handmade vibe.
When Retro Stops Being a Gimmick
A 90s-inspired layout works best when it supports the writing instead of distracting from it.
examples/
Example pages
Built to show what you can keep, trim, or remix
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Style GuideFull width page
Shows typography, badges, panels, code blocks, and the full palette system in one place.
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CustomizeOptional sidebar page
Maps which parts of the theme can be removed, swapped, or extended without rebuilding the whole starter.
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AboutFull width page
A plain content page that demonstrates the cleaner no-sidebar default for standalone pages.
palettes.css
Built-out palettes
Three moods for the same skeleton
sunset modem glow
Ember
Warm oranges with a bright blue companion accent. This is the most overtly nostalgic default.
Main
#ef7f45
Soft
#fff1dd
Strong
#b94f18
Secondary
#3f93ff
icy portal chrome
Surf
Cool blue panels with teal highlights. Good when you want the retro shell to feel lighter and more technical.
Main
#2578e7
Soft
#e5f3ff
Strong
#174da2
Secondary
#17b7b3
garden terminal
Mint
A greener palette that leans a little more handmade and zine-like while still keeping strong contrast.
Main
#00a878
Soft
#e8fff5
Strong
#076451
Secondary
#f28f3b