Free Minimalist WordPress Themes You’ll Love

by Yan Susanto on May 24, 2008

Jonas Bonér wrote a very nice article on The Art of Minimalistic Design. Let me quote his thought of what minimalism is,

“…where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features and core self expression”.

I love minimalist design for its sheer simplicity. Minimalism does away the unnecessary frills and presenting a user-interface that is pleasing to the eyes and easy to navigate. Isn’t that the essence of a great design?

Below is a showcase of free minimalist WordPress themes you’ll probably love. [Updated: April 2010]

Smart Portfolio

download – not free but it’s one of my favorites.

You’ve seen them all. These are super-plain yet beautiful WordPress themes hand-selected by me that should please the most minimalist of you. And more importantly, they are F R E E!

But if you adore minimalism, explore the power of Thesis theme for your next project.

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{ 12 comments }

Fath May 25, 2008 at 8:56 am: Hey there. I love your blog design although it’s not completely yours. I’ve been watching Speckyboy’s works since the first time I found his website which was a few months ago and I admit, I really love The Winter Styled as well. You chose the right theme. :)

And thanks too for your comment and precious time you spent on Pelangi Petang. Feel free to come again. :)
Fath May 25, 2008 at 8:58 am: Bookmarked your blog. Maybe you’ll be on my Link Love someday. :)
Yan May 25, 2008 at 9:14 am: Hey Fath,

Appreciate your time to drop by and thanks for the bookmark. Yeah, I hope one day I could design a minimalist theme I could call my own. The day shouldn’t be too long though. It’s in the pipeline.
Chip May 25, 2008 at 4:12 pm: I like Grady and Trevilian Way. With a little customization they can be a nice CMS homepage theme.
Yan May 25, 2008 at 5:48 pm: Oh yes, both of them are as good as the other themes. As in most cases, minimalistic design requires less customization which is good from the user’s perspective.
Polina May 31, 2008 at 12:21 am: It is well seen that you have spent much time and effort writing content for your blog. It is really a valuable resource for those who’d wish to begin blogging and dont’ know what to start with. Thank you very much!

Love the themes, especially #6, 7, 10, 11
John August 20, 2008 at 10:53 am: I’m a huge fan of simple wordpress themes and Modicus is looking really nice to me

John’s last blog post..Malvern Real Estate
travel blogger October 25, 2008 at 6:09 am: I think #7 is an awesome theme. Having a minimalist theme is way better than one that is fulled with widgets, ads, and all sorts of other stuff. I have actually just cut back on some of the things on my blog to make it a little more simplified.
Erik Z November 3, 2008 at 10:20 am: I’m diggin’ #7 IAMWW, very nice looking wordpress templates. Three columns is the way to go, it looks very organized and perfect if you want to post some affiliate sides on the right side if you want. I mean that’s why we are into blogging right? To make money and have fun! You have to choose a template that looks sharp and organized, but still have an area where you can put some ads in that blend in with the template. I think IAMWW is perfect, definitely going to download that one, thanks!
eric March 29, 2009 at 2:57 am: wow…very minimalistic themes I like it very much.

eric´s lastest post..Характеристики Opel Agila
Vice October 14, 2009 at 10:06 am: Merdeka is a true gem. The words really stand out it’s like reading a personal journal.
bluemontoya January 4, 2010 at 7:59 am: Awesome Wordpress Themes! Also check out a theme by ganearh called Minimalism Wordpress Themes.