Weeland – Masonry Lifestyle WordPress Blog Theme

On a wall of cards, every photo works as a headline

A list-style blog reads from top to bottom: the title leads and the image follows. In a masonry grid, pieces fit together by height and the eye jumps from one to the next. The first thing readers compare is your photos, and a post with a weak image sits right next to the best one you have.

Choosing a masonry theme also commits you to a way of taking photos. Weeland, by NordStudio, is a WordPress theme for personal blogs on lifestyle, cooking, travel, fashion, art and photography, built around that grid. If every post goes out with a carefully chosen image, the wall works for you. If many go out without a photo of their own, think about that before installing it.

Left-hand menu and masonry grid

Weeland takes navigation out of the top of the page and moves it to the side. That combination defines its look:

• Vertical navigation on the left side.
• Fixed left sidebar.
• Custom image and logo for that sidebar.
• Masonry layout based on a grid.
• Numeric pagination to move through the archive.

What goes with each post

• Design focused on reading and content.
• Galleries within the blog.
• Author description box.
• Social profiles and share buttons.
• Unlimited colors, adjustable from the WordPress Customizer.
• Retina ready and responsive.
• Child theme to keep your changes separate.

Five languages to start from

The theme comes translated into English, German, Dutch, Spanish and French. It is translation ready and compatible with WPML, so you can publish the blog in several languages or take the interface into another one.

Keep the difference between the two in mind: those translations cover the theme's own text. You write the posts yourself in each language.

A personal blog, not a magazine

Weeland is configured from the WordPress Customizer. Its approach is simple, and that sets its limits:

• Block editor: it is not optimized for Gutenberg. Test your posts if you rely on advanced blocks.
• Home pages: its approach is the blog grid. Modular magazine home pages are not among its features.
• Ads and newsletter: ad slots and subscription forms are not among its features.
• Store: if you plan to sell, test WooCommerce with the theme first.

Test the wall with ten real posts

Before changing anything, see how the wall looks with your real content:

1. Install and activate Weeland; if you will touch code, use the child theme.
2. Open the Customizer and place your logo and the sidebar image.
3. Create the menu for the vertical navigation and check how it looks on mobile.
4. Publish or review ten posts with their images, in varied formats.
5. Look at the full wall and adjust the colors last.

Walls with submissions, ads or several builders, and short answers

If you want to open the blog to your readers, Pin combines a masonry wall with post submission from the public side. If you plan to live off ads, Veen brings its slots already planned and a modular home page. If you would rather choose your builder, Lemars supports several.

What kind of blog is Weeland for?

Personal blogs on lifestyle, cooking, travel, fashion, art, photography and similar topics.

Does the menu go at the top?

No. Navigation is vertical and sits on the left side.

Can I change the colors without code?

Yes, from the WordPress Customizer, with unlimited colors.

Is it available in Spanish?

Yes. It is one of its five languages, along with English, German, Dutch and French.

Is it suitable if I am new to WordPress?

It is designed to be easy to use even for beginners, and it comes with extensive documentation.