Beyond Basics: WordPress Websites Reimagining Design

WordPress has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a simple blogging platform. Today, it’s a powerful content management system (CMS) that powers millions of websites worldwide. 

With thousands of ready-made plugins and themes available, creating stunning website designs has never been easier. In this article, we’ll go beyond the basics of WordPress design and share some of the most impressive websites that push the boundaries of what’s possible with this versatile CMS.

From sleek corporate portfolios to immersive online stores, these sites are all great examples of design done right. 

By the end of this article, you might even be inspired to give your WordPress website a makeover! And, to help you get started, we’ll cover all the tools and resources you need to build a beautiful, responsive, and user-friendly website using WordPress and Kadence Theme. 

Notable WordPress sites: Inspiring design excellence

Let’s take a look at some of the top-tier WordPress website designs that highlight its potential: 

1. The TED Blog

The TED Blog, the official blog of the famous Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) Talks platform, offers thought-provoking content and engaging discussions on a wide range of topics, such as global issues, science, technology, and more. The TED Blog uses a custom WordPress theme designed specifically for the site. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Clean and modern design that gives the content the attention it deserves. 
• Bold typography and minimalist color palette.

2. The New York Times

From bestselling books to groundbreaking journalism, The New York Times is the world’s go-to newspaper for current information. But did you know its website is built with WordPress? It uses a custom WordPress theme that perfectly captures the newspaper’s branding – from its signature typography to the classic masthead. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Responsive design that ensures the theme looks great on all devices.
• Strategic use of multimedia elements, like videos and multimedia graphics. 

3. Music Mayhem Magazine

Music Mayhem Magazine is a digital publication dedicated to covering the latest news, interviews, and features in the Country music world. Its website, which features a modern aesthetic, uses Kadence Theme. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• The organization of content blocks above the fold effectively highlights the musicians and their photographs. 
• Regardless of length, all headlines fit within the grid layout, which helps maintain a clean and organized appearance. 

4. AD Dal Pozzo

AD Dal Pozzo is a premier Italian furniture retailer known for its exquisite collection of luxury home furnishings. Its custom theme embodies sophistication and elegance and shows off just how versatile WordPress design elements are. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Sleek and modern design that captures the brand’s commitment to luxury and style.
• Interactive content blocks, such as product carousels with hover effects and visually striking horizontal scrolling sections. 

5. Momofuku

Momofuku, a renowned restaurant group, has a website that embodies the brand’s bold and innovative approach to cuisine. The site uses a custom theme and features a visually striking layout, intuitive navigation, and a great user experience.

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Striking use of imagery captures the essence of Momofuku’s dishes. 
• A minimalist layout that allows the food imagery to take center stage. 

6. NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) website serves as a gateway to the wonders of space exploration. Its website uses a custom, enterprise-level WordPress theme builder. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Intuitive navigation with clear categories and search functionalities allows visitors to find what they want easily. 
• Incorporates various multimedia elements to balance information, including stunning high-resolution images and videos that showcase the breathtaking beauty of the universe.

7. Hartzler Family Dairy

Hartzler Family Dairy is an Ohio-based dairy farm that offers a range of hormone-free dairy products, including milk, ice cream, cheese, and butter. Its website uses the Beaver Builder theme. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• The large visuals are a treat to the eyes and don’t leave visitors guessing what products Hartzler offers. 
• The clean white background with pops of green and cyan is warm and inviting. 

8. Garden Betty

Garden Betty is a blog dedicated to gardening, homesteading, and sustainable living. The website design, built using Kadence Theme, is clean and user-friendly. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• The design is an updated take on the traditional F-layout, which offers a fresh user experience.  
• As visitors scroll through the site, they discover more and more content, but each section is unique and uses visually appealing imagery throughout. 

9. Fabienne Chapot

Fabienne Chapot is a Dutch fashion brand known for its bold, colorful designs and playful aesthetic. Its website reflects this vibrant personality using a custom theme. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Playful, animated watercolor imagery that captures the brand’s signature prints. 
• Dynamic typography that changes colors depending on the background. 

10. The Jane Goodall Institute

The Jane Goodall Institute website is a hub for conservation efforts and environmental education inspired by Dr. Jane Goodall’s work with chimpanzees. The site uses Swift Ideas’ Joyn theme. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Compelling use of multimedia elements to tell the story of Dr. Goodall’s conservation work. 
• The color palette fittingly uses colors inspired by nature, like green, blue, and muted coral. 

11. Landia

Landia is an award-winning production company. The website, built using a custom WordPress theme, highlights their expertise in crafting compelling content for brands worldwide.

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Full-screen videos that showcase Landia’s projects and load quickly as you scroll. 
• The simple black background with minimal text on the home page effectively lets Landia’s work speak for itself. 

12. Rafael Nadal

Dedicated to the tennis champion, Rafael Nadal’s official website offers fans a glimpse into his career, achievements, and personal life. The site is built using a custom version of the Verve theme by Pirenko. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• The website is available in Spanish and English, catering to Nadal’s global fanbase. 
• Minimalistic black-and-white color scheme that spotlights the high-quality photos of Nadal. 

13. Marcela Pulido 

Marcela Pulido is a Portland-based wedding photographer. Her website, which uses Kadence Theme, is filled with photos that capture the magical moments of love. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• It’s not easy to make a wedding portfolio website stand out, but this one does so by using distinctive typography choices and colorful sections. 
• The copy clearly states what to expect from Pulido’s work so clients know what they’re getting. 

14. Miga Studio

Miga Studio is an eyewear brand that combines Italy’s rich cultural heritage with Japan’s minimalist, futuristic aesthetics. The eye-catching (no pun intended) website, which uses a custom WordPress theme, showcases the brand’s unique collection of eyewear designs.

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Large, attention-grabbing typography immediately draws the visitor in and sets the tone for the brand’s confident spirit. 
• High-quality, full-width images of Miga Studio’s eyewear products are the focal point of the design. 

15. Timberyard

Timberyard is a family-run restaurant located in the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland. Its website uses Lay Theme. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Clever use of negative space helps the images stand out. 
• Simple typography and uncluttered design mirror the restaurant’s ethos of showcasing natural, locally sourced ingredients. 

16. Sanders Design

Sanders Design is a web and print design agency that uses Kadence Theme to power its website. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Placing a testimonial prominently on the home page allows potential clients to quickly see the positive results Sanders Design delivers, building trust right away.
• The animations throughout the page give a clear idea of the engaging visual experiences the agency can create for clients. 

“Design agencies have a lot to live up to. Sanders does a great job distinguishing the various services they offer with clearly demarcated sections while giving the user a dynamic experience as they scroll.”

Katy Boykin, Product Marketing Manager, Kadence WP

17. Bateaumon Paris

If you’re feeling tempted to book a flight ticket to Paris so you can experience a serene boat ride along the Seine, we’re right there with you. Bateaumon Paris offers boat rentals for professional or private events in Paris and uses the Hello Elementor theme for its website. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Creative design, with a mixture of real photos and hand-drawn illustrations. 
• The blue, white, and salmon color scheme adds a touch of whimsy. 

18. Angry Birds

The Angry Birds website invites visitors into the colorful and chaotic world of these iconic characters. The site, which uses a custom WordPress theme, offers fans a hub for games, merchandise, and updates about their hot-tempered avian heroes.

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• The slider on the home page, featuring full-screen interactive graphics, brings the Angry Birds universe to life. 
• The navigation page has a playful design with ample white space and the original Angry Bird character in the corner.

19. Exploring Vegan

Exploring Vegan is dedicated to promoting a plant-based lifestyle in an approachable and non-judgmental way. The site uses the Underscores starter theme. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• Choice of bold colors, swirly patterns, and animations add an element of surprise. 
• The recipes come with a tag describing them as “easy” or “comfort.” 

20. Grisly’s Cosmic

Grisly’s Cosmic is a bourbon and cola cocktail company that uses a custom WordPress theme for its website. 

Our take on what makes this website shine: 

• The home page is trippy but in all the best ways. It features vibrant colors, funky characters, and interactive graphics throughout. 
• The “cosmic space yeti,” the brand’s mascot, adds a fun touch of personality. 

Reinventing WordPress design with Kadence

Feeling Inspired to create your own stunning website? Kadence WP provides the perfect toolkit! Our flagship products – Kadence Theme and Kadence Blocks – are designed to help you build fast, responsive, and fully customizable websites with minimal effort. Take a look at their key features. 

Kadence Theme: Your perfect starting point

Kadence Theme is the ideal foundation for building an effective website design, and here’s why: 

• Extensive library of starter templates: Find the template of your dreams by choosing from a wide range of ready-to-use options. Or better yet, use Kadence’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) templates to create customized content specifically for your website.
• Fully customizable: Easily customize the look and feel of your website using pre-loaded color palettes, font combinations, drag-and-drop header and footer editors, and comprehensive layout settings. 
• Fast and responsive: Thanks to built-in features like Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) pre-loading, your site will be lightning-fast, while responsive design options ensure your website looks great on any device. 

Kadence Blocks: Elevating your design game

Whether you’re building on the foundation of Kadence Theme or revamping your existing website, Kadence Blocks is the perfect tool for creating unique and engaging content: 

• Minimal learning curve: Kadence Blocks works directly within the native WordPress block editor, allowing you to design unique and meaningful content without needing to learn a new interface. 
• Optimized for speed: Kadence Blocks only loads the necessary CSS or JavaScript, so your site remains fast and efficient.
• Full design control: Build custom layouts with ease, choose from 900+ Google Fonts and 1,500+ SVG icons, and take complete control over your colors using extensive design settings within the block editor. To save even more time, you can configure default settings for specific blocks, which is especially useful for larger websites.

The best part is that Kadence Theme, Kadence Blocks, and Starter Templates are all available for free and also comes with 250 AI credits. This makes designing beautiful, responsive websites easier than ever without breaking the bank. 

And, for those who want to take their design to the next level, pro versions of the Theme and Blocks are available, offering features like dynamic content, custom design elements, and a dedicated WooCommerce add-on and tools designed to enhance WooCommerce stores.

Your next steps: Transforming your WordPress site with Kadence

WordPress has long been recognized as one of the most powerful and flexible platforms for website design. However, with so many themes and plugins available, it can be tough to decide your site’s direction. 

To help you get started, we’ve covered some inspiring examples of great WordPress site designs and introduced you to some of the best tools for the job – Kadence Theme and Kadence Blocks. And now that you’ve seen some of what’s possible with Kadence WP, it’s time to take the next step.

Start your journey with Kadence WP by exploring our free plan. Soon, you’ll experience the difference that a well-designed, high-performing website can have on your online presence!