How to make an ✨Aesthetic✨Home Screen!

I absolutely love personalizing my iPhone, and nothing feels more satisfying than having a home screen that truly reflects my style! For the longest time, I admired all those beautiful aesthetic home screens on Pinterest, thinking it was too complicated to achieve. But guess what? It's totally doable, and I'm going to share my favorite tips and tricks with you, especially focusing on how to make your home screen aesthetic using Widgetsmith and custom icons. First things first: Planning Your Aesthetic. Before diving into the technical steps, spend some time on Pinterest. Search for "aesthetic iPhone home screen ideas," "minimalist iPhone theme," or even specific color palettes like "pastel aesthetic home screen." Find wallpapers that speak to you and save a collection of cute app icons. I found so many amazing custom app icons on Pinterest that fit my desired vibe perfectly! Having a clear vision will make the whole process much smoother. Next up, Customizing App Icons with Shortcuts. This is where you transform those standard app icons into something uniquely yours. It might seem a little complex at first, but it's pretty straightforward: Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone. If you don't have it, download it from the App Store. My phone already had it, which was super convenient! Tap the plus sign (+) in the top right corner to create a new shortcut. Tap "Add Action" and in the search bar, type "Open App" and select it. Tap on the word "App" (it's usually highlighted) and choose the application you want to customize. For example, I changed my camera app icon. Once chosen, tap the small three dots (...) at the top right (or sometimes it's shown as "Details" after you hold your finger on the shortcut from the main screen) to access the shortcut's settings. Here, you'll see an option to "Add to Home Screen." Now, the fun part! You can change the app icon and name. Tap the icon placeholder (it looks like a small app icon) and choose "Choose Photo" to select one of those cute app icons you saved from Pinterest. You can also rename the app to anything you like. I usually keep the original name for clarity, but sometimes a fun emoji or a shortened version looks great. After you're happy, tap "Add," and your new custom icon will appear on your home screen! Now, let's talk about Elevating with Widgetsmith. This app is an absolute game-changer for aesthetic home screens. Widgetsmith allows you to create highly customizable widgets in various sizes (small, medium, large) and types. Open Widgetsmith. You’ll see options to add Small, Medium, or Large widgets. I like to mix and match! Select a size and tap "Add Widget." Then tap on the default widget to customize it. You can choose different styles like Photo, Time, Date, Weather, Text, or even specific app-related widgets. For example, I love using a photo widget with a picture that matches my "beach vibes" theme, or a text widget with an inspirational quote. Within Widgetsmith, you can choose fonts, colors, backgrounds, and borders to perfectly match your aesthetic. I spent a good amount of time playing with these options to get everything just right. Once your widget is designed, go back to your iPhone home screen. Long-press on an empty space, then tap the plus sign (+) in the top left corner. Scroll down and search for "Widgetsmith." Select the size you created, and then add it to your home screen. If you have multiple widgets of the same size, you can long-press the added widget on your home screen, tap "Edit Widget," and select the specific Widgetsmith widget you want to display. Pro Tips for a Cohesive Look: To truly finalize your aesthetic, consider using the App Library for apps you don’t use daily. This keeps your main home screen pages clean and focused on your custom icons and widgets. Group similar apps into folders with custom icons too! I also found that consistent use of colors and fonts across my custom icons and Widgetsmith widgets really pulled the whole look together. Don't be afraid to experiment and rearrange until it feels just right. It's so rewarding to make your phone truly yours!