You have saved the desktops: a soft photo, a clock, a short list, nothing else. These aesthetic new tab ideas bring that look to the page you open most, and every one can be done today.
The pictures use Backs, the Chrome new tab we make, because its widgets, called Backons, are what this site can draw.
Aesthetic new tab ideas that start with the photo
Choose one photo you can live with
Pick a photo you would hang on a wall, not one that shouts. Look for a large calm area such as sky, water or fog, because that is where the clock goes. Backs takes Unsplash photos or your own images.
Let the photo set the colours
Setups that look finished use three colours found in the picture: a pale one, a dark one and an accent. In Backs the Backons take their colours from the background and change when the photo does. Elsewhere, sample them from the photo with a colour picker and stop at three.
Match the season or the hour
An autumn road in September, blossom in April, a golden sky for the evening. This page opens on a wet forest road because it was written in late September. When the season turns, change the photo. If the colours follow it, nothing else needs restyling.
Decide what goes on the page
Keep it to three things
A clock, one list and one more: the weather, a timer or a search bar. Empty space is part of the look, and every extra widget covers some of the photo you chose. If you miss something later, add it then.
Put text on the calm part of the photo
Text reads well over sky, water or mist, and badly over leaves, buildings or faces. Put it where the picture is plain and leave the subject uncovered. In Backs each Backon goes wherever you put it on the grid. If no part of the photo is calm, it is the wrong photo.
Pick one mood and keep to it
Mixing two moods is where a page starts to look accidental. Four to choose from:
- Warm and cosy: evening light, browns and oranges, a short note.
- Pale and minimal: fog, sand or a white wall, thin lines, little text.
- Dark and moody: night skies and deep forests, one bright thing in the frame.
- Bright and playful: blue sky, primary colours, a timer in plain view.
Make it yours
Keep a different setup for each part of life
A study page and an evening page need not look alike. In Backs these are Spaces, each with its own photo, layout and content. The free plan includes two: a focus Space with a timer and a task list, and a soft one with a clock and a note. More needs Premium. A shared Space link carries the layout, colours and Unsplash photo, and none of your notes.
Match the rest of the desktop
Use the same photo, or one from the same set, for your desktop wallpaper and your new tab, so opening the browser does not change the mood. Then look at the desk: a lamp, a plant or a mug in the photo's accent colour ties the screen to the room.
Add one or two personal touches
A note with a line you like, in your own words. A bookmark ribbon for the one site you open every morning. Backs also has small decorations, such as plants and lanterns, on the free plan. Use one, not five.
Questions people ask
- Can I use my own photo as the new tab background?
- In Backs, yes: bring your own image or choose a photo from Unsplash. Other tools differ, so check that yours accepts uploads first.
- Does an aesthetic new tab cost anything?
- Backs is free to use without an account, and every idea here fits the free plan, two Spaces included. Premium is optional: €3.99 a month or €39.99 a year, with a 14-day trial. It adds unlimited Spaces, sync between browsers and extra weather Backons.
- Does this work on a phone?
- No. Backs is for Chrome on a computer.
Photo via Unsplash