As the name suggests, Cold Stone is a stylish premium theme by Elegant Themes. It mimics the cold textures of concrete, hints of rock patterns that give this theme its own unique presence. As always, Elegant Themes have delivered another high end Wordpress theme to be added in their fine collection.

The Front Page

The front page template includes a huge section for feature posts. This feature area boasts a wide image container that spans the whole width of the page. A post number switcher hovers the image that when clicked – continues to the next feature post. This is a break from the traditional slide show, which I think is refreshing and nicely done. The rest of the home page continues with a double column with a distinct stone look as the background. The left column carries the latest posts in a magazine fashion, sidebar includes an about container with tabs for recent comments, posts and archives.

The Inner Pages:

The inner pages have somewhat switched to a flat surfaced look. Still double column, sidebar is totally different from the home page template. The main content are is presented in excellent spacing, font choice as well as image placement. The comments template support Gravatars and threaded replies, with nice subtle borders and shades in the containers. The Archive templates kept the same magazine style like the home page – complete with thumbnails and post excerpts with tiny fonts for the post meta information.

Other Features:

The theme navigation supports multi-levels for both categories and pages. It also uses some form of Javascript / jQuery for the smoothing of drop down lists which adds elegance to the look. Cold Stone also includes optional posts layout, widgetized areas, auto thumbnail resizing and advertising managements. The theme also includes a full blown options page in the admin area where you control the theme settings in a couple of clicks.

Conclusion

Cold Stone started out strong in the home page. I wish it could have kept this “identity” through the rest of the theme. Maybe keeping some of the stone back drop elements inside the sidebar or comments template. Regardless, Cold Stone’s overall presentation is very good, useable and high in quality. Elegant Themes also offer a theme club membership of $19.95 a year – where you get access to unlimited use of Cold Stone along with the rest of their themes. This is an exceptional value that is matched by no other.

Update

I was about to publish this post when I read that Elegant Themes has just added 3 additional skins to Cold Stone: Cold Stone Nature, Cold Stone Glow and Cold Stone Grunge. Be sure to check it out!