diff --git a/app/blog/[slug]/loading.tsx b/app/blog/[slug]/loading.tsx
index dcb2cbe..c0fd35d 100644
--- a/app/blog/[slug]/loading.tsx
+++ b/app/blog/[slug]/loading.tsx
@@ -1,15 +1,22 @@
+const lineWidths = ['78%', '92%', '85%', '88%', '74%', '96%', '82%', '69%'];
+
 export default function BlogPostLoading() {
     return (
-        <div className="max-w-3xl mx-auto px-6 py-24 animate-pulse">
-            <div className="space-y-4 mb-12">
-                <div className="h-4 bg-zinc-200 dark:bg-zinc-800 rounded w-1/4" />
-                <div className="h-12 bg-zinc-200 dark:bg-zinc-800 rounded w-3/4" />
-                <div className="h-6 bg-zinc-200 dark:bg-zinc-800 rounded w-2/3" />
-            </div>
-            <div className="space-y-4">
-                {Array.from({ length: 8 }).map((_, i) => (
-                    <div key={i} className="h-5 bg-zinc-200 dark:bg-zinc-800 rounded" style={{ width: `${70 + Math.random() * 30}%` }} />
-                ))}
+        <div className="page-frame py-20 sm:py-24">
+            <div className="mx-auto max-w-[70rem] animate-pulse xl:grid xl:grid-cols-[11rem_minmax(0,44rem)] xl:gap-x-10">
+                <div className="hidden xl:block" />
+                <div>
+                    <div className="mb-8 space-y-4 border-b border-line pb-8">
+                        <div className="h-3 w-1/3 rounded-full bg-accent-soft" />
+                        <div className="h-14 w-3/4 rounded-[1rem] bg-paper-strong" />
+                        <div className="h-5 w-2/3 rounded-full bg-paper-strong" />
+                    </div>
+                    <div className="space-y-4">
+                        {lineWidths.map((width) => (
+                            <div key={width} className="h-4 rounded-full bg-paper-strong" style={{ width }} />
+                        ))}
+                    </div>
+                </div>
             </div>
         </div>
     );
diff --git a/app/blog/[slug]/page.tsx b/app/blog/[slug]/page.tsx
index c6e747d..35de691 100644
--- a/app/blog/[slug]/page.tsx
+++ b/app/blog/[slug]/page.tsx
@@ -3,14 +3,12 @@ import { MDXRemote } from 'next-mdx-remote/rsc';
 import Link from 'next/link';
 import { notFound } from 'next/navigation';
 import { format } from 'date-fns';
-import rehypeSlug from 'rehype-slug';
 import rehypeAutolinkHeadings from 'rehype-autolink-headings';
 import { TableOfContents } from '@/components/mdx/TableOfContents';
 import { SideNote } from '@/components/mdx/SideNote';
 import { Citation, Bibliography } from '@/components/mdx/Citation';
 import { MobileTableOfContents } from '@/components/mdx/MobileTableOfContents';
 
-// Utility to ensure consistent IDs
 const slugify = (text: React.ReactNode): string => {
     if (!text) return '';
     const str = typeof text === 'string' ? text : String(text);
@@ -21,16 +19,16 @@ const slugify = (text: React.ReactNode): string => {
 };
 
 const components = {
-    h1: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'h1'>) => <h1 {...props} id={slugify(props.children)} className="text-3xl font-bold mt-8 mb-4 text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-50 scroll-mt-24" />,
-    h2: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'h2'>) => <h2 {...props} id={slugify(props.children)} className="text-2xl font-bold mt-8 mb-4 text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-50 scroll-mt-24" />,
-    h3: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'h3'>) => <h3 {...props} id={slugify(props.children)} className="text-xl font-bold mt-6 mb-3 text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-50 scroll-mt-24" />,
-    p: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'p'>) => <p {...props} className="mb-4 leading-relaxed text-zinc-700 dark:text-zinc-300" />,
-    ul: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'ul'>) => <ul {...props} className="list-disc pl-5 mb-4 space-y-2 text-zinc-700 dark:text-zinc-300" />,
-    ol: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'ol'>) => <ol {...props} className="list-decimal pl-5 mb-4 space-y-2 text-zinc-700 dark:text-zinc-300" />,
-    blockquote: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'blockquote'>) => <blockquote {...props} className="border-l-4 border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-700 pl-4 italic my-6 text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400" />,
-    code: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'code'>) => <code {...props} className="bg-zinc-100 dark:bg-zinc-800 text-pink-600 dark:text-pink-400 px-1 py-0.5 rounded text-sm font-mono" />,
-    pre: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'pre'>) => <pre {...props} className="bg-zinc-900 dark:bg-zinc-900 text-zinc-100 p-4 rounded-lg overflow-x-auto my-6 text-sm font-mono" />,
-    a: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'a'>) => <a {...props} className="text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100 underline decoration-zinc-300 dark:decoration-zinc-700 hover:decoration-zinc-900 dark:hover:decoration-zinc-100 transition-all font-medium" />,
+    h1: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'h1'>) => <h1 {...props} id={slugify(props.children)} className="mt-12 scroll-mt-24 font-sans text-[2rem] font-medium leading-tight tracking-[-0.05em] text-ink sm:text-[2.5rem]" />,
+    h2: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'h2'>) => <h2 {...props} id={slugify(props.children)} className="mt-14 scroll-mt-24 font-sans text-[1.65rem] font-medium leading-tight tracking-[-0.05em] text-ink sm:text-[2rem]" />,
+    h3: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'h3'>) => <h3 {...props} id={slugify(props.children)} className="mt-10 scroll-mt-24 font-sans text-[1.22rem] font-medium tracking-[-0.03em] text-ink sm:text-[1.42rem]" />,
+    p: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'p'>) => <p {...props} className="mb-6 text-[1.02rem] leading-[1.85] text-ink-soft" />,
+    ul: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'ul'>) => <ul {...props} className="mb-6 list-disc space-y-2 pl-5 text-[0.98rem] leading-8 text-ink-soft marker:text-accent" />,
+    ol: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'ol'>) => <ol {...props} className="mb-6 list-decimal space-y-2 pl-5 text-[0.98rem] leading-8 text-ink-soft marker:text-accent" />,
+    blockquote: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'blockquote'>) => <blockquote {...props} className="my-10 border-l border-line-strong pl-5 text-[1.05rem] italic leading-8 text-ink-soft" />,
+    code: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'code'>) => <code {...props} className="rounded bg-paper-strong px-1.5 py-0.5 font-mono text-[0.9em] text-ink" />,
+    pre: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'pre'>) => <pre {...props} className="my-8 overflow-x-auto rounded-[1rem] border border-line bg-[#161412] p-5 text-sm text-paper shadow-[0_16px_40px_rgba(17,16,15,0.12)]" />,
+    a: (props: React.ComponentPropsWithoutRef<'a'>) => <a {...props} className="font-medium text-ink underline decoration-line-strong underline-offset-4 transition-colors hover:text-accent hover:decoration-accent" />,
     SideNote,
     Citation,
     Bibliography,
@@ -82,7 +80,6 @@ export default async function BlogPost({ params }: Props) {
         notFound();
     }
 
-    // Extract headings for TOC
     const headingLines = post.content.match(/^#{2,3}\s+(.+)$/gm) || [];
     const headings = headingLines.map((line) => {
         const level = line.match(/^#+/)?.[0].length || 2;
@@ -90,47 +87,40 @@ export default async function BlogPost({ params }: Props) {
         const id = slugify(text);
         return { id, text, level };
     });
+    const tags = Array.isArray(post.metadata.tags) ? post.metadata.tags : [];
 
     return (
-        <div className="max-w-7xl mx-auto px-6 py-24 animate-fade-in relative">
-
-            <div className="grid grid-cols-1 xl:grid-cols-[250px_1fr] gap-12">
-                {/* Left Column: TOC */}
+        <div className="page-frame py-20 sm:py-24">
+            <div className="mx-auto max-w-[78rem] xl:grid xl:grid-cols-[11rem_minmax(0,44rem)] xl:gap-x-10">
                 <aside className="hidden xl:block">
-                    <div className="sticky top-32">
+                    <div className="sticky top-24">
                         <TableOfContents headings={headings} />
                     </div>
                 </aside>
 
-                {/* Right Column: Content */}
-                <article className="max-w-3xl mx-auto xl:mx-0 w-full">
-
-                    {/* Mobile TOC */}
-                    <MobileTableOfContents headings={headings} />
-
-                    <header className="mb-12 text-center sm:text-left">
-                        <div className="flex items-center gap-3 text-sm text-zinc-400 dark:text-zinc-500 mb-4 justify-center sm:justify-start">
+                <article className="w-full">
+                    <header className="mb-8 space-y-4 border-b border-line pb-8">
+                        <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-x-4 gap-y-2 text-[0.72rem] font-mono uppercase tracking-[0.14em] text-muted-strong">
                             <time dateTime={post.metadata.date}>
                                 {format(new Date(post.metadata.date), 'MMMM d, yyyy')}
                             </time>
-                            <span className="w-1 h-1 rounded-full bg-zinc-300 dark:bg-zinc-700" />
-                            <div className="flex gap-2">
-                                {Array.isArray(post.metadata.tags) && post.metadata.tags.map((tag: string) => (
-                                    <span key={tag} className="text-xs uppercase tracking-wider">{tag}</span>
-                                ))}
-                            </div>
+                            {tags.map((tag: string) => (
+                                <span key={tag}>{tag}</span>
+                            ))}
                         </div>
 
-                        <h1 className="text-4xl sm:text-5xl font-bold tracking-tight text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-50 mb-6 leading-tight">
+                        <h1 className="max-w-[38rem] text-balance font-sans text-[clamp(2.7rem,5.8vw,4.4rem)] font-medium leading-[0.94] tracking-[-0.08em] text-ink">
                             {post.metadata.title}
                         </h1>
 
-                        <p className="text-xl text-zinc-500 dark:text-zinc-400 font-light leading-relaxed">
+                        <p className="max-w-[34rem] text-[1.04rem] leading-8 text-muted">
                             {post.metadata.description}
                         </p>
                     </header>
 
-                    <div className="prose prose-zinc dark:prose-invert prose-lg max-w-none relative">
+                    <MobileTableOfContents headings={headings} />
+
+                    <div className="essay-prose relative mt-8 max-w-none xl:max-w-[44rem]">
                         <MDXRemote
                             source={post.content}
                             components={components}
@@ -144,11 +134,11 @@ export default async function BlogPost({ params }: Props) {
                         />
                     </div>
 
-                    <div className="mt-16 pt-8 border-t border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800 flex justify-between items-center text-sm text-zinc-500">
-                        <Link href="/blog" className="hover:text-zinc-900 dark:hover:text-zinc-100 transition-colors">
+                    <div className="mt-14 flex items-center justify-between border-t border-line pt-6 text-sm text-muted">
+                        <Link href="/blog" className="transition-colors hover:text-ink">
                             &larr; Back to all posts
                         </Link>
-                        <a href="#" className="hover:text-zinc-900 dark:hover:text-zinc-100 transition-colors">
+                        <a href="#" className="transition-colors hover:text-ink">
                             Scroll to top &uarr;
                         </a>
                     </div>
diff --git a/app/blog/loading.tsx b/app/blog/loading.tsx
index 4d6a947..d4635fe 100644
--- a/app/blog/loading.tsx
+++ b/app/blog/loading.tsx
@@ -1,19 +1,26 @@
 export default function BlogLoading() {
     return (
-        <div className="max-w-3xl mx-auto px-6 py-24 space-y-12 animate-pulse">
-            <div className="space-y-4">
-                <div className="h-10 bg-zinc-200 dark:bg-zinc-800 rounded w-1/3" />
-                <div className="h-5 bg-zinc-200 dark:bg-zinc-800 rounded w-2/3" />
-            </div>
-            <div className="grid gap-10">
-                {Array.from({ length: 3 }).map((_, i) => (
-                    <div key={i} className="space-y-3">
-                        <div className="h-4 bg-zinc-200 dark:bg-zinc-800 rounded w-1/4" />
-                        <div className="h-7 bg-zinc-200 dark:bg-zinc-800 rounded w-3/4" />
-                        <div className="h-5 bg-zinc-200 dark:bg-zinc-800 rounded w-full" />
-                        <div className="h-5 bg-zinc-200 dark:bg-zinc-800 rounded w-5/6" />
-                    </div>
-                ))}
+        <div className="page-frame py-20 sm:py-24">
+            <div className="mx-auto max-w-[72rem] animate-pulse space-y-10">
+                <div className="space-y-4 border-b border-line pb-10">
+                    <div className="h-3 w-20 rounded-full bg-accent-soft" />
+                    <div className="h-14 w-2/3 rounded-[1rem] bg-paper-strong" />
+                    <div className="h-5 w-1/2 rounded-full bg-paper-strong" />
+                </div>
+                <div className="space-y-8">
+                    {Array.from({ length: 2 }).map((_, i) => (
+                        <div key={i} className="grid gap-3 border-b border-line pb-6 md:grid-cols-[8rem_minmax(0,1fr)] md:gap-6">
+                            <div className="h-3 w-20 rounded-full bg-accent-soft" />
+                            <div className="space-y-3">
+                                <div className="h-9 w-3/4 rounded-[0.9rem] bg-paper-strong" />
+                                <div className="space-y-2">
+                                    <div className="h-4 w-full rounded-full bg-paper-strong" />
+                                    <div className="h-4 w-4/5 rounded-full bg-paper-strong" />
+                                </div>
+                            </div>
+                        </div>
+                    ))}
+                </div>
             </div>
         </div>
     );
diff --git a/app/blog/page.tsx b/app/blog/page.tsx
index d307c45..e268ea9 100644
--- a/app/blog/page.tsx
+++ b/app/blog/page.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import type { Metadata } from 'next';
 import Link from 'next/link';
-import { getAllPosts } from '@/lib/mdx';
 import { format } from 'date-fns';
+import { getAllPosts } from '@/lib/mdx';
 
 export const metadata: Metadata = {
     title: 'Blog',
@@ -16,46 +16,61 @@ export default function BlogIndex() {
     const posts = getAllPosts();
 
     return (
-        <div className="max-w-3xl mx-auto px-6 py-24 space-y-12 animate-fade-in">
-            <header className="space-y-4 text-center sm:text-left">
-                <h1 className="text-4xl font-bold tracking-tight text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-50">Writing</h1>
-                <p className="text-zinc-500 dark:text-zinc-400 font-light">
-                    Thoughts on software, design, and minimalism.
-                </p>
-            </header>
-
-            <div className="grid gap-10">
-                {posts.map((post) => (
-                    <article key={post.slug} className="group relative flex flex-col space-y-3">
-                        <div className="flex items-center gap-3 text-sm text-zinc-400 dark:text-zinc-500">
-                            <time dateTime={post.date}>
-                                {format(new Date(post.date), 'MMMM d, yyyy')}
-                            </time>
-                            <span className="w-1 h-1 rounded-full bg-zinc-300 dark:bg-zinc-700" />
-                            <div className="flex gap-2">
-                                {post.tags?.map(tag => (
-                                    <span key={tag} className="text-xs uppercase tracking-wider">{tag}</span>
-                                ))}
-                            </div>
-                        </div>
-
-                        <Link href={`/blog/${post.slug}`} className="block">
-                            <h2 className="text-2xl font-semibold text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100 group-hover:text-zinc-600 dark:group-hover:text-zinc-300 transition-colors">
-                                {post.title}
-                            </h2>
-                        </Link>
-
-                        <p className="text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400 font-light leading-relaxed">
-                            {post.description}
+        <div className="page-frame py-20 sm:py-24">
+            <div className="mx-auto max-w-[72rem] space-y-10">
+                <header className="space-y-4 border-b border-line pb-10">
+                    <div className="space-y-4">
+                        <p className="eyebrow">Writing</p>
+                        <h1 className="max-w-[40rem] text-balance font-sans text-[clamp(3rem,6vw,5rem)] font-medium leading-[0.94] tracking-[-0.08em] text-ink">
+                            Notes on software, deep learning, and research.
+                        </h1>
+                        <p className="max-w-[34rem] text-[1rem] leading-8 text-muted">
+                            A small archive of ideas, experiments, and things worth slowing down enough to explain.
                         </p>
+                    </div>
+                </header>
 
-                        <div className="pt-2">
-                            <Link href={`/blog/${post.slug}`} className="text-sm font-medium text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100 underline decoration-zinc-300 dark:decoration-zinc-700 underline-offset-4 hover:decoration-zinc-900 dark:hover:decoration-zinc-100 transition-all">
-                                Read more
-                            </Link>
-                        </div>
-                    </article>
-                ))}
+                <div className="divide-y divide-line">
+                    {posts.map((post) => (
+                        <article key={post.slug} className="grid gap-3 py-6 md:grid-cols-[8rem_minmax(0,1fr)] md:gap-6">
+                            <div className="pt-1">
+                                <time dateTime={post.date} className="block font-mono text-[0.72rem] uppercase tracking-[0.18em] text-muted-strong">
+                                    {format(new Date(post.date), 'MMMM d, yyyy')}
+                                </time>
+                            </div>
+
+                            <div className="space-y-3">
+                                <Link href={`/blog/${post.slug}`} className="block">
+                                    <h2 className="max-w-[38rem] font-sans text-[1.8rem] font-medium leading-tight tracking-[-0.05em] text-ink transition-colors hover:text-accent sm:text-[2.1rem]">
+                                        {post.title}
+                                    </h2>
+                                </Link>
+
+                                <p className="max-w-[34rem] text-[0.98rem] leading-7 text-muted">
+                                    {post.description}
+                                </p>
+
+                                <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-x-4 gap-y-2 pt-1 text-[0.76rem] font-mono uppercase tracking-[0.14em] text-muted-strong">
+                                    {post.tags?.map((tag) => (
+                                        <span key={tag}>
+                                            {tag}
+                                        </span>
+                                    ))}
+                                    <Link href={`/blog/${post.slug}`} className="text-ink transition-colors hover:text-accent">
+                                        Read essay
+                                    </Link>
+                                </div>
+                            </div>
+                        </article>
+                    ))}
+                </div>
+
+                <section className="grid gap-4 border-t border-line pt-6 md:grid-cols-[8rem_minmax(0,1fr)]">
+                    <p className="eyebrow md:pt-1">Archive</p>
+                    <p className="max-w-[34rem] text-[0.96rem] leading-7 text-muted">
+                        {posts.length} published {posts.length === 1 ? 'essay' : 'essays'}. The archive stays selective.
+                    </p>
+                </section>
             </div>
         </div>
     );
diff --git a/app/globals.css b/app/globals.css
index ad6d5a9..37d7faa 100644
--- a/app/globals.css
+++ b/app/globals.css
@@ -1,54 +1,275 @@
 @import "tailwindcss";
 @plugin "@tailwindcss/typography";
 
-
-/* Getting rid of backticks in code blocks in blogs */
 .prose code::before,
 .prose code::after {
   content: "" !important;
 }
 
 @theme {
-  --font-sans: var(--font-inter);
-  --color-zinc-50: #fafafa;
-  --color-zinc-100: #f4f4f5;
-  --color-zinc-200: #e4e4e7;
-  --color-zinc-300: #d4d4d8;
-  --color-zinc-400: #a1a1aa;
-  --color-zinc-500: #71717a;
-  --color-zinc-600: #52525b;
-  --color-zinc-700: #3f3f46;
-  --color-zinc-800: #27272a;
-  --color-zinc-900: #18181b;
-  --color-zinc-950: #09090b;
+  --font-sans: var(--font-instrument-sans);
+  --font-mono: var(--font-ibm-plex-mono);
 
-  --animate-fade-in: fade-in 0.5s ease-in-out;
-  --animate-slide-up: slide-up 0.5s ease-in-out;
+  --color-paper: #f4efe7;
+  --color-paper-strong: #fbf7f0;
+  --color-paper-overlay: rgba(244, 239, 231, 0.92);
+  --color-ink: #171411;
+  --color-ink-soft: #27221d;
+  --color-muted: #5b544b;
+  --color-muted-strong: #7a7166;
+  --color-line: rgba(23, 20, 17, 0.12);
+  --color-line-strong: rgba(23, 20, 17, 0.22);
+  --color-accent: #8d6a42;
+  --color-accent-soft: rgba(141, 106, 66, 0.12);
+
+  --animate-fade-in: fade-in 0.7s cubic-bezier(0.16, 1, 0.3, 1);
+  --animate-fade-up: fade-up 0.8s cubic-bezier(0.16, 1, 0.3, 1) both;
 
   @keyframes fade-in {
-    from { opacity: 0; }
-    to { opacity: 1; }
+    from {
+      opacity: 0.82;
+      transform: translateY(4px);
+    }
+
+    to {
+      opacity: 1;
+      transform: translateY(0);
+    }
   }
-  @keyframes slide-up {
-    from { opacity: 0; transform: translateY(10px); }
-    to { opacity: 1; transform: translateY(0); }
+
+  @keyframes fade-up {
+    from {
+      opacity: 0.7;
+      transform: translateY(8px);
+    }
+
+    to {
+      opacity: 1;
+      transform: translateY(0);
+    }
   }
 }
 
 :root {
-  --background: var(--color-zinc-50);
-  --foreground: var(--color-zinc-900);
+  color-scheme: light;
+  --background: var(--color-paper);
+  --foreground: var(--color-ink);
+  --page-wash: rgba(170, 142, 97, 0.09);
+  --page-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.24);
+  --grain-opacity: 0.03;
+}
+
+:root[data-theme="dark"] {
+  color-scheme: dark;
+  --background: #11100f;
+  --foreground: #f2ede4;
+  --color-paper: #11100f;
+  --color-paper-strong: #171614;
+  --color-paper-overlay: rgba(17, 16, 15, 0.92);
+  --color-ink: #f2ede4;
+  --color-ink-soft: #dfd7cb;
+  --color-muted: #b3a99d;
+  --color-muted-strong: #d0c4b5;
+  --color-line: rgba(242, 237, 228, 0.12);
+  --color-line-strong: rgba(242, 237, 228, 0.22);
+  --color-accent: #d0af80;
+  --color-accent-soft: rgba(208, 175, 128, 0.14);
+  --page-wash: rgba(208, 175, 128, 0.08);
+  --page-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.02);
+  --grain-opacity: 0.055;
 }
 
 @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
-  :root {
-    --background: var(--color-zinc-950);
-    --foreground: var(--color-zinc-50);
+  :root:not([data-theme="light"]) {
+    color-scheme: dark;
+    --background: #11100f;
+    --foreground: #f2ede4;
+    --color-paper: #11100f;
+    --color-paper-strong: #171614;
+    --color-paper-overlay: rgba(17, 16, 15, 0.92);
+    --color-ink: #f2ede4;
+    --color-ink-soft: #dfd7cb;
+    --color-muted: #b3a99d;
+    --color-muted-strong: #d0c4b5;
+    --color-line: rgba(242, 237, 228, 0.12);
+    --color-line-strong: rgba(242, 237, 228, 0.22);
+    --color-accent: #d0af80;
+    --color-accent-soft: rgba(208, 175, 128, 0.14);
+    --page-wash: rgba(208, 175, 128, 0.08);
+    --page-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.02);
+    --grain-opacity: 0.055;
   }
 }
 
+html {
+  scroll-behavior: smooth;
+  background: var(--background);
+}
+
 body {
   background: var(--background);
   color: var(--foreground);
-  font-family: var(--font-inter), sans-serif;
+  font-family: var(--font-sans), sans-serif;
+  min-height: 100vh;
+  position: relative;
+  background-image: linear-gradient(180deg, var(--page-shadow), transparent 28%);
+  -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;
+}
+
+body::before,
+body::after {
+  content: "";
+  inset: 0;
+  position: fixed;
+  pointer-events: none;
+  z-index: 0;
+}
+
+body::before {
+  background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg viewBox='0 0 160 160' xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%3E%3Cfilter id='n'%3E%3CfeTurbulence type='fractalNoise' baseFrequency='1.15' numOctaves='3' stitchTiles='stitch'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Crect width='160' height='160' filter='url(%23n)' opacity='1'/%3E%3C/svg%3E");
+  opacity: var(--grain-opacity);
+}
+
+body::after {
+  background:
+    radial-gradient(60rem 24rem at 50% -8%, var(--page-wash), transparent 70%),
+    radial-gradient(24rem 18rem at 0% 0%, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.02), transparent 74%);
+  opacity: 1;
+}
+
+::selection {
+  background: rgba(141, 106, 66, 0.18);
+  color: var(--foreground);
+}
+
+a {
+  color: inherit;
+}
+
+:focus-visible {
+  outline: 2px solid rgba(141, 106, 66, 0.5);
+  outline-offset: 4px;
+}
+
+.site-shell {
+  position: relative;
+  z-index: 10;
+}
+
+.page-frame {
+  margin: 0 auto;
+  max-width: 84rem;
+  padding-inline: clamp(1.25rem, 3vw, 2.5rem);
+}
+
+.eyebrow {
+  color: var(--color-muted-strong);
+  font-family: var(--font-mono), monospace;
+  font-size: 0.68rem;
+  letter-spacing: 0.16em;
+  text-transform: uppercase;
+}
+
+.ambient-canvas {
+  inset: 0;
+  pointer-events: none;
+  position: fixed;
+  z-index: 0;
+}
+
+.ambient-canvas__wash {
+  inset: 0;
+  position: absolute;
+  background-image:
+    radial-gradient(68rem 28rem at 50% -10%, var(--page-wash), transparent 72%),
+    radial-gradient(40rem 24rem at 100% 0%, rgba(141, 106, 66, 0.05), transparent 76%);
+  opacity: 0.9;
+}
+
+.theme-toggle {
+  position: relative;
+}
+
+.theme-toggle__sun,
+.theme-toggle__moon {
+  position: absolute;
+  transition:
+    opacity 180ms ease,
+    transform 180ms ease;
+}
+
+.theme-toggle__moon {
+  opacity: 0;
+  transform: scale(0.8);
+}
+
+:root[data-theme="dark"] .theme-toggle__sun {
+  opacity: 0;
+  transform: scale(0.8);
+}
+
+:root[data-theme="dark"] .theme-toggle__moon {
+  opacity: 1;
+  transform: scale(1);
+}
+
+.essay-prose {
+  color: var(--color-ink-soft);
+  font-size: 1.04rem;
+  line-height: 1.85;
+}
+
+.essay-prose > :first-child {
+  margin-top: 0;
+}
+
+.essay-prose > :last-child {
+  margin-bottom: 0;
+}
+
+.essay-prose img {
+  margin-block: 2.25rem;
+  border: 1px solid var(--color-line);
+  border-radius: 1rem;
+}
+
+.essay-prose pre code,
+.essay-prose code[data-language] {
+  background: transparent;
+  padding: 0;
+}
+
+.side-note {
+  display: block;
+  margin-block: 1.6rem;
+  border-left: 1px solid var(--color-line-strong);
+  padding-left: 0.95rem;
+  color: var(--color-muted);
+  font-size: 0.9rem;
+  line-height: 1.7;
+}
+
+.side-note strong {
+  display: block;
+  margin-bottom: 0.3rem;
+  color: var(--color-ink);
+  font-weight: 600;
+}
+
+@media (min-width: 1280px) {
+  .side-note {
+    float: right;
+    clear: right;
+    width: 12rem;
+    margin-top: 0.25rem;
+    margin-right: -14rem;
+    margin-bottom: 1.5rem;
+    margin-left: 1.75rem;
+  }
+}
+
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+  html {
+    scroll-behavior: auto;
+  }
 }
diff --git a/app/layout.tsx b/app/layout.tsx
index e893ee3..8245201 100644
--- a/app/layout.tsx
+++ b/app/layout.tsx
@@ -1,14 +1,27 @@
 import type { Metadata } from "next";
-import { Inter } from "next/font/google";
+import {
+  IBM_Plex_Mono,
+  Instrument_Sans,
+} from "next/font/google";
+import Script from "next/script";
 import "./globals.css";
-import { Navbar } from "../components/layout/Navbar";
-import { Footer } from "../components/layout/Footer";
-import { Analytics } from "../components/Analytics";
+import { Analytics } from "@/components/Analytics";
+import { AmbientCanvas } from "@/components/layout/AmbientCanvas";
+import { Footer } from "@/components/layout/Footer";
+import { Navbar } from "@/components/layout/Navbar";
 
-const inter = Inter({
-  variable: "--font-inter",
+const instrumentSans = Instrument_Sans({
+  variable: "--font-instrument-sans",
   subsets: ["latin"],
   display: "swap",
+  weight: ["400", "500", "600", "700"],
+});
+
+const ibmPlexMono = IBM_Plex_Mono({
+  variable: "--font-ibm-plex-mono",
+  subsets: ["latin"],
+  display: "swap",
+  weight: ["400", "500"],
 });
 
 export const metadata: Metadata = {
@@ -36,19 +49,36 @@ export default function RootLayout({
   children: React.ReactNode;
 }>) {
   return (
-    <html lang="en">
+    <html lang="en" suppressHydrationWarning>
       <body
-        className={`${inter.variable} antialiased flex flex-col min-h-screen`}
+        className={`${instrumentSans.variable} ${ibmPlexMono.variable} min-h-screen bg-paper font-sans text-ink antialiased`}
       >
-        <a href="#main-content" className="sr-only focus:not-sr-only focus:absolute focus:top-4 focus:left-4 focus:z-[100] focus:bg-white focus:dark:bg-zinc-900 focus:px-4 focus:py-2 focus:text-sm focus:font-medium focus:rounded focus:shadow">
+        <Script id="theme-init" strategy="beforeInteractive">
+          {`
+            try {
+              const storedTheme = localStorage.getItem("theme-preference");
+              const theme = storedTheme === "light" || storedTheme === "dark"
+                ? storedTheme
+                : (window.matchMedia("(prefers-color-scheme: dark)").matches ? "dark" : "light");
+              document.documentElement.dataset.theme = theme;
+            } catch {}
+          `}
+        </Script>
+        <a
+          href="#main-content"
+          className="sr-only focus:not-sr-only focus:absolute focus:left-4 focus:top-4 focus:z-[100] focus:rounded-full focus:bg-paper-strong focus:px-4 focus:py-2 focus:text-sm focus:font-medium focus:text-ink focus:shadow-[0_12px_30px_rgba(23,28,24,0.08)]"
+        >
           Skip to content
         </a>
-        <Navbar />
-        <main id="main-content" className="flex-grow">
-          {children}
-        </main>
-        <Footer />
-        <Analytics />
+        <AmbientCanvas />
+        <div className="site-shell flex min-h-screen flex-col">
+          <Navbar />
+          <main id="main-content" className="flex-grow">
+            {children}
+          </main>
+          <Footer />
+          <Analytics />
+        </div>
       </body>
     </html>
   );
diff --git a/app/page.tsx b/app/page.tsx
index fe5c167..17a29cb 100644
--- a/app/page.tsx
+++ b/app/page.tsx
@@ -1,81 +1,59 @@
 import Image from "next/image";
+import Link from "next/link";
 import { getAllPosts } from "@/lib/mdx";
+import profileImage from "@/public/profile.jpeg";
 
 export default function Home() {
   const posts = getAllPosts();
   const latestPost = posts[0];
-  const latestPostHref = latestPost ? `/blog/${latestPost.slug}` : '/blog';
+  const latestPostHref = latestPost ? `/blog/${latestPost.slug}` : "/blog";
+
   return (
-    <div className="min-h-screen flex flex-col items-center p-8 sm:p-20 relative overflow-hidden bg-zinc-50 dark:bg-zinc-950 text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-50 font-sans">
+    <div className="page-frame py-16 sm:py-20">
+      <section className="mx-auto grid min-h-[calc(100vh-11rem)] max-w-[64rem] gap-6 lg:grid-cols-[minmax(0,39rem)_15rem] lg:items-center lg:gap-4">
+        <div className="max-w-[39rem] space-y-6">
+          <p className="eyebrow">Akshay Kolli / Research + Writing</p>
 
-      {/* Background decoration */}
-      <div className="fixed top-0 left-0 w-full h-full overflow-hidden z-0 pointer-events-none opacity-30 dark:opacity-10">
-        <div className="absolute top-[-20%] left-[-10%] w-[50%] h-[50%] rounded-full bg-linear-to-br from-zinc-200 to-transparent blur-3xl dark:from-zinc-800" />
-        <div className="absolute bottom-[-20%] right-[-10%] w-[50%] h-[50%] rounded-full bg-linear-to-tl from-zinc-200 to-transparent blur-3xl dark:from-zinc-800" />
-      </div>
+          <div className="space-y-4">
+            <h1 className="max-w-[34rem] text-balance font-sans text-[clamp(3.15rem,6vw,5.2rem)] font-medium leading-[0.94] tracking-[-0.085em] text-ink">
+              World models and reinforcement learning.
+            </h1>
 
-      <main className="z-10 max-w-5xl w-full animate-fade-in mt-20 sm:mt-32 pb-24 px-6">
-
-        <div className="grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-2 gap-12 md:gap-24 items-start">
-
-          {/* Left Column: Text & Info */}
-          <section className="space-y-8 order-2 md:order-1">
-            <header className="space-y-4">
-              <h1 className="text-4xl sm:text-6xl font-bold tracking-tight text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100 animate-slide-up" style={{ animationDelay: '0.1s' }}>
-                Akshay Kolli.
-              </h1>
-              <p className="text-xl text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-300 font-light tracking-wide animate-slide-up" style={{ animationDelay: '0.2s' }}>
-                CS PhD Student @ UMass Lowell
-              </p>
-            </header>
-
-            <div className="space-y-6 text-lg text-zinc-500 dark:text-zinc-400 leading-relaxed font-light animate-slide-up" style={{ animationDelay: '0.3s' }}>
+            <div className="max-w-[32rem] space-y-3 text-[1.04rem] leading-8 text-ink-soft sm:text-[1.1rem]">
               <p>
-                I am a PhD candidate at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, focusing on <strong>World Models</strong>, <strong>Reinforcement Learning</strong>, and <strong>Multi-Agent Systems</strong>.
+                I&apos;m a CS PhD student at UMass Lowell building world models for autonomous agents.
               </p>
-              <p>
-                My work lies in building World Models for autonomous agents that can reason, adapt and learn in complex environments.
-                On the weekends I enjoy exercising, playing chess, listening to Jimi Hendrix, and playing video games.
-              </p>
-            </div>
-
-            <div className="pt-4 border-t border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800 animate-slide-up" style={{ animationDelay: '0.4s' }}>
-              <h3 className="text-xs font-bold uppercase tracking-widest text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100 mb-4">Connect</h3>
-              <div className="flex gap-6 font-medium text-sm">
-                <a href="mailto:akshaykolli@hotmail.com" className="text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400 hover:text-zinc-900 dark:hover:text-zinc-100 transition-colors">
-                  Email
-                </a>
-                <a href="https://github.com/akkolli" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" className="text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400 hover:text-zinc-900 dark:hover:text-zinc-100 transition-colors">
-                  GitHub
-                </a>
-                <a href="https://x.com/thekolliakshay" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" className="text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400 hover:text-zinc-900 dark:hover:text-zinc-100 transition-colors">
-                  Twitter
-                </a>
-                <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/akshay-kolli-/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" className="text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400 hover:text-zinc-900 dark:hover:text-zinc-100 transition-colors">
-                  LinkedIn
-                </a>
-              </div>
-            </div>
-
-            {/* "Currently" - Answering "Anything else?" */}
-            <div className="pt-2 animate-slide-up" style={{ animationDelay: '0.5s' }}>
-              <p className="text-sm text-zinc-400 dark:text-zinc-500 font-mono">
-                <span className="text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100 mr-2">Currently:</span>
-                Writing about deep learning happenings <a href={latestPostHref} className="text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400 underline decoration-zinc-300 dark:decoration-zinc-700 hover:text-zinc-900 dark:hover:text-zinc-100">Read latest &rarr;</a>
-              </p>
-            </div>
-          </section>
-
-          {/* Right Column: Photo */}
-          <div className="order-1 md:order-2 flex justify-center md:justify-end animate-slide-up" style={{ animationDelay: '0.2s' }}>
-            <div className="relative w-64 h-64 sm:w-80 sm:h-80 rounded-2xl overflow-hidden bg-zinc-100 dark:bg-zinc-900 shadow-2xl transition-transform duration-500 ease-out">
-              <Image src="/profile.jpeg" alt="Akshay Kolli" fill className="object-cover" priority />
             </div>
           </div>
 
+          <div className="flex flex-wrap gap-x-6 gap-y-3 text-[0.96rem] text-ink">
+            <Link href={latestPostHref} className="transition-colors hover:text-accent">
+              Latest essay
+            </Link>
+            <Link href="/blog" className="transition-colors hover:text-accent">
+              Writing
+            </Link>
+            <Link href="/resume" className="transition-colors hover:text-accent">
+              Resume
+            </Link>
+            <a href="mailto:akshaykolli@hotmail.com" className="transition-colors hover:text-accent">
+              Email
+            </a>
+          </div>
         </div>
-      </main>
 
+        <aside className="w-full max-w-[12rem] lg:max-w-[15rem] lg:justify-self-start">
+          <div className="relative aspect-square overflow-hidden rounded-full border border-line bg-paper-strong">
+            <Image
+              src={profileImage}
+              alt="Akshay Kolli"
+              fill
+              priority
+              className="object-cover object-center"
+            />
+          </div>
+        </aside>
+      </section>
     </div>
   );
 }
diff --git a/app/resume/page.tsx b/app/resume/page.tsx
index 80c2f7d..07d04f1 100644
--- a/app/resume/page.tsx
+++ b/app/resume/page.tsx
@@ -9,127 +9,144 @@ export const metadata: Metadata = {
     },
 };
 
+const experience = [
+    {
+        title: 'PhD in Computer Science',
+        org: 'University of Massachusetts',
+        period: 'Jan 2025 – Present',
+        bullets: [],
+    },
+    {
+        title: 'Research Assistant',
+        org: 'Exalabs, University of Massachusetts',
+        period: 'Sep 2022 – Present',
+        bullets: [
+            'Designing state-of-the-art ML pipelines for graph properties and trajectory forecasting.',
+            'Reduced multi-agent simulation time by 1000x.',
+        ],
+    },
+    {
+        title: 'Software Engineering Intern',
+        org: 'Siemens Healthineers',
+        period: 'May 2023 – Sep 2023',
+        bullets: [
+            'Created a Python data analysis tool for commercial blood testing machines.',
+            'Deployed a 1DConv autoencoder with 99.99% accuracy on a 700k+ dataset for real-time error detection.',
+        ],
+    },
+];
+
+const education = [
+    {
+        title: 'MSc Computer Science',
+        org: 'University of Massachusetts',
+        period: 'Aug 2022 – Dec 2024',
+    },
+    {
+        title: 'BE Mechanical Engineering',
+        org: 'Osmania University',
+        period: 'Aug 2018 – Jun 2022',
+    },
+];
+
+const skills = [
+    {
+        label: 'Languages',
+        values: ['Python', 'Rust', 'C++', 'Go', 'SQL', 'TypeScript', 'Kotlin', 'R'],
+    },
+    {
+        label: 'Technologies',
+        values: ['React', 'Django', 'Flask', 'TensorFlow', 'PyTorch', 'Jax', 'Tauri', 'Docker', 'Kubernetes', 'GCP', 'MongoDB'],
+    },
+    {
+        label: 'Concepts',
+        values: ['NLP', 'Transformers', 'Encryption', 'AI', 'Machine Learning', 'Distributed Systems'],
+    },
+];
+
 export default function ResumePage() {
     return (
-        <div className="max-w-3xl mx-auto px-6 py-24 space-y-12 animate-fade-in">
-            <header className="space-y-4">
-                <h1 className="text-4xl font-bold tracking-tight text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-50">Resume</h1>
-
-            </header>
-
-            {/* Timeline Section */}
-            <section className="space-y-12">
-                <h2 className="text-2xl font-bold tracking-tight text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-50 border-b border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800 pb-4">
-                    Experience & Education
-                </h2>
-
-                <div className="space-y-12 border-l border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800 ml-8 pl-8 relative">
-
-                    {/* PhD */}
-                    <div className="relative">
-                        <span className="absolute -left-[37px] top-1 h-4 w-4 rounded-full border-2 border-zinc-50 dark:border-zinc-950 bg-zinc-900 dark:bg-zinc-50" />
-                        <div className="space-y-2">
-                            <div className="flex justify-between items-baseline flex-wrap gap-2">
-                                <h3 className="font-semibold text-lg text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100">PhD in Computer Science</h3>
-                                <span className="text-sm font-mono text-zinc-500">Jan 2025 – Present</span>
-                            </div>
-                            <p className="text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400">University of Massachusetts</p>
-                        </div>
+        <div className="page-frame py-20 sm:py-24">
+            <div className="mx-auto max-w-[72rem] space-y-10">
+                <header className="space-y-4 border-b border-line pb-10">
+                    <div className="space-y-4">
+                        <p className="eyebrow">Resume</p>
+                        <h1 className="max-w-[40rem] text-balance font-sans text-[clamp(3rem,6vw,4.8rem)] font-medium leading-[0.94] tracking-[-0.08em] text-ink">
+                            Experience, education, and technical depth.
+                        </h1>
+                        <p className="max-w-[34rem] text-[1rem] leading-8 text-muted">
+                            Research, engineering, and systems work across academia and industry.
+                        </p>
                     </div>
+                </header>
 
-                    {/* Research Assistant */}
-                    <div className="relative">
-                        <span className="absolute -left-[37px] top-1 h-4 w-4 rounded-full border-2 border-zinc-50 dark:border-zinc-950 bg-zinc-400 dark:bg-zinc-600" />
-                        <div className="space-y-2">
-                            <div className="flex justify-between items-baseline flex-wrap gap-2">
-                                <h3 className="font-semibold text-lg text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100">Research Assistant</h3>
-                                <span className="text-sm font-mono text-zinc-500">Sep 2022 – Present</span>
-                            </div>
-                            <p className="text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400">Exalabs, University of Massachusetts</p>
-                            <ul className="list-disc pl-5 space-y-1 text-sm text-zinc-500 dark:text-zinc-500 leading-relaxed marker:text-zinc-300">
-                                <li>Designing state-of-the-art ML pipelines for graph properties & trajectory forecasting.</li>
-                                <li>Reduced multi-agent simulation time by 1000x.</li>
-                            </ul>
-                        </div>
+                <section className="grid gap-4 border-b border-line pb-10 lg:grid-cols-[8rem_minmax(0,1fr)]">
+                    <p className="eyebrow lg:pt-1">Experience</p>
+                    <div className="space-y-8">
+                        {experience.map((item) => (
+                            <article key={`${item.title}-${item.period}`} className="grid gap-2 md:grid-cols-[8rem_minmax(0,1fr)] md:gap-5">
+                                <p className="font-mono text-[0.72rem] uppercase tracking-[0.18em] text-muted-strong">
+                                    {item.period}
+                                </p>
+                                <div className="space-y-2">
+                                    <div className="space-y-1">
+                                        <h2 className="font-sans text-[1.35rem] font-medium leading-tight tracking-[-0.04em] text-ink sm:text-[1.55rem]">
+                                            {item.title}
+                                        </h2>
+                                        <p className="text-[0.96rem] leading-7 text-muted">
+                                            {item.org}
+                                        </p>
+                                    </div>
+                                    {item.bullets.length > 0 ? (
+                                        <ul className="list-disc space-y-2 pl-5 text-[0.94rem] leading-7 text-muted marker:text-accent">
+                                            {item.bullets.map((bullet) => (
+                                                <li key={bullet}>{bullet}</li>
+                                            ))}
+                                        </ul>
+                                    ) : null}
+                                </div>
+                            </article>
+                        ))}
                     </div>
+                </section>
 
-                    {/* Siemens */}
-                    <div className="relative">
-                        <span className="absolute -left-[37px] top-1 h-4 w-4 rounded-full border-2 border-zinc-50 dark:border-zinc-950 bg-zinc-300 dark:bg-zinc-700" />
-                        <div className="space-y-2">
-                            <div className="flex justify-between items-baseline flex-wrap gap-2">
-                                <h3 className="font-semibold text-lg text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100">Software Engineering Intern</h3>
-                                <span className="text-sm font-mono text-zinc-500">May 2023 – Sep 2023</span>
-                            </div>
-                            <p className="text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400">Siemens Healthineers</p>
-                            <ul className="list-disc pl-5 space-y-1 text-sm text-zinc-500 dark:text-zinc-500 leading-relaxed marker:text-zinc-300">
-                                <li>Created data analysis tool with Python for commercial blood testing machines.</li>
-                                <li>Deployed 1DConv AutoEncoder (99.99% accuracy) on 700k+ dataset for real-time error detection.</li>
-                            </ul>
-                        </div>
+                <section className="grid gap-4 border-b border-line pb-10 lg:grid-cols-[8rem_minmax(0,1fr)]">
+                    <p className="eyebrow lg:pt-1">Education</p>
+                    <div className="space-y-6">
+                        {education.map((item) => (
+                            <article key={`${item.title}-${item.period}`} className="grid gap-2 md:grid-cols-[8rem_minmax(0,1fr)] md:gap-5">
+                                <p className="font-mono text-[0.72rem] uppercase tracking-[0.18em] text-muted-strong">
+                                    {item.period}
+                                </p>
+                                <div className="space-y-1">
+                                    <h2 className="font-sans text-[1.35rem] font-medium leading-tight tracking-[-0.04em] text-ink sm:text-[1.55rem]">
+                                        {item.title}
+                                    </h2>
+                                    <p className="text-[0.96rem] leading-7 text-muted">
+                                        {item.org}
+                                    </p>
+                                </div>
+                            </article>
+                        ))}
                     </div>
+                </section>
 
-                    {/* Masters */}
-                    <div className="relative">
-                        <span className="absolute -left-[37px] top-1 h-4 w-4 rounded-full border-2 border-zinc-50 dark:border-zinc-950 bg-zinc-200 dark:bg-zinc-800" />
-                        <div className="space-y-2">
-                            <div className="flex justify-between items-baseline flex-wrap gap-2">
-                                <h3 className="font-semibold text-lg text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100">MSc Computer Science</h3>
-                                <span className="text-sm font-mono text-zinc-500">Aug 2022 – Dec 2024</span>
-                            </div>
-                            <p className="text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400">University of Massachusetts</p>
-                        </div>
+                <section className="grid gap-4 lg:grid-cols-[8rem_minmax(0,1fr)]">
+                    <p className="eyebrow lg:pt-1">Skills</p>
+                    <div className="space-y-4">
+                        {skills.map((group) => (
+                            <article key={group.label} className="grid gap-2 md:grid-cols-[9rem_minmax(0,1fr)] md:gap-5">
+                                <h2 className="font-sans text-[1rem] font-medium tracking-[-0.02em] text-ink">
+                                    {group.label}
+                                </h2>
+                                <p className="text-[0.96rem] leading-7 text-muted">
+                                    {group.values.join(', ')}
+                                </p>
+                            </article>
+                        ))}
                     </div>
-
-                    {/* Bachelors */}
-                    <div className="relative">
-                        <span className="absolute -left-[37px] top-1 h-4 w-4 rounded-full border-2 border-zinc-50 dark:border-zinc-950 bg-zinc-100 dark:bg-zinc-900" />
-                        <div className="space-y-2">
-                            <div className="flex justify-between items-baseline flex-wrap gap-2">
-                                <h3 className="font-semibold text-lg text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100">BE Mechanical Engineering</h3>
-                                <span className="text-sm font-mono text-zinc-500">Aug 2018 – June 2022</span>
-                            </div>
-                            <p className="text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400">Osmania University</p>
-                        </div>
-                    </div>
-
-                </div>
-            </section>
-
-            {/* Technical Skills */}
-            <section className="space-y-8">
-                <h2 className="text-2xl font-bold tracking-tight text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-50 border-b border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800 pb-4">
-                    Technical Skills
-                </h2>
-                <div className="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 gap-8">
-                    <div>
-                        <h3 className="font-semibold text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100 mb-3 block">Languages</h3>
-                        <div className="flex flex-wrap gap-2 text-sm text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400 font-mono">
-                            <span className="px-2 py-1 bg-zinc-100 dark:bg-zinc-900 rounded">Python</span>
-                            <span className="px-2 py-1 bg-zinc-100 dark:bg-zinc-900 rounded">Rust</span>
-                            <span className="px-2 py-1 bg-zinc-100 dark:bg-zinc-900 rounded">C++</span>
-                            <span className="px-2 py-1 bg-zinc-100 dark:bg-zinc-900 rounded">Go</span>
-                            <span className="px-2 py-1 bg-zinc-100 dark:bg-zinc-900 rounded">SQL</span>
-                            <span className="px-2 py-1 bg-zinc-100 dark:bg-zinc-900 rounded">TypeScript</span>
-                            <span className="px-2 py-1 bg-zinc-100 dark:bg-zinc-900 rounded">Kotlin</span>
-                            <span className="px-2 py-1 bg-zinc-100 dark:bg-zinc-900 rounded">R</span>
-                        </div>
-                    </div>
-                    <div>
-                        <h3 className="font-semibold text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100 mb-3 block">Technologies</h3>
-                        <div className="text-sm text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400 leading-relaxed">
-                            React.js, Django, Flask, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Jax, Tauri, Android SDK, Docker, Kubernetes, GCP, MongoDB
-                        </div>
-                    </div>
-                    <div>
-                        <h3 className="font-semibold text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100 mb-3 block">Concepts</h3>
-                        <div className="text-sm text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400 leading-relaxed">
-                            NLP, Transformers, Encryption, AI, Machine Learning, Distributed Systems
-                        </div>
-                    </div>
-                </div>
-            </section>
-
+                </section>
+            </div>
         </div>
     );
 }
diff --git a/components/layout/AmbientCanvas.tsx b/components/layout/AmbientCanvas.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6b257b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/layout/AmbientCanvas.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+export function AmbientCanvas() {
+  return (
+    <div aria-hidden className="ambient-canvas">
+      <div className="ambient-canvas__wash" />
+    </div>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/components/layout/Footer.tsx b/components/layout/Footer.tsx
index ae6e41e..d6ab8cc 100644
--- a/components/layout/Footer.tsx
+++ b/components/layout/Footer.tsx
@@ -1,11 +1,23 @@
 export function Footer() {
     return (
-        <footer className="w-full py-8 text-center text-xs text-zinc-400 dark:text-zinc-600 font-mono border-t border-zinc-200/50 dark:border-zinc-800/50 mt-auto">
-            <div className="max-w-4xl mx-auto px-6 flex flex-col sm:flex-row justify-between items-center gap-4">
-
-                <div className="flex gap-4">
-                    <a href="https://x.com/thekolliakshay" className="hover:text-zinc-900 dark:hover:text-zinc-100 transition-colors">Twitter</a>
-                    <a href="https://github.com/akkolli" className="hover:text-zinc-900 dark:hover:text-zinc-100 transition-colors">GitHub</a>
+        <footer className="mt-auto border-t border-line">
+            <div className="mx-auto flex max-w-[72rem] flex-col gap-3 px-5 py-6 sm:flex-row sm:items-center sm:justify-between sm:px-6">
+                <p className="text-[0.82rem] leading-6 text-muted">
+                    Research, writing, and software.
+                </p>
+                <div className="flex flex-wrap gap-4 text-[0.82rem] text-ink">
+                    <a href="mailto:akshaykolli@hotmail.com" className="transition-colors hover:text-accent">
+                        Email
+                    </a>
+                    <a href="https://github.com/akkolli" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" className="transition-colors hover:text-accent">
+                        GitHub
+                    </a>
+                    <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/akshay-kolli-/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" className="transition-colors hover:text-accent">
+                        LinkedIn
+                    </a>
+                    <a href="https://x.com/thekolliakshay" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" className="transition-colors hover:text-accent">
+                        X
+                    </a>
                 </div>
             </div>
         </footer>
diff --git a/components/layout/Navbar.tsx b/components/layout/Navbar.tsx
index cbb3a5b..5571563 100644
--- a/components/layout/Navbar.tsx
+++ b/components/layout/Navbar.tsx
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 import Link from 'next/link';
 import { usePathname } from 'next/navigation';
+import { ThemeToggle } from './ThemeToggle';
 
 export function Navbar() {
     const pathname = usePathname();
@@ -9,35 +10,49 @@ export function Navbar() {
     const isActive = (path: string) => pathname?.startsWith(path);
 
     return (
-        <nav aria-label="Main navigation" className="fixed top-0 left-0 w-full z-50 backdrop-blur-md bg-zinc-50/80 dark:bg-zinc-950/80 border-b border-zinc-200/50 dark:border-zinc-800/50">
-            <div className="max-w-4xl mx-auto px-6 h-16 flex items-center justify-between">
-                <Link href="/" className="font-bold text-lg tracking-tight hover:opacity-70 transition-opacity">
-                    AK
+        <nav
+            aria-label="Main navigation"
+            className="fixed left-0 top-0 z-50 w-full border-b border-line bg-paper-overlay"
+        >
+            <div className="mx-auto flex h-14 max-w-[72rem] items-center justify-between gap-6 px-5 sm:px-6">
+                <Link href="/" className="flex items-baseline gap-2.5 transition-opacity hover:opacity-75">
+                    <span className="text-[0.96rem] font-medium tracking-[-0.03em] text-ink">
+                        Akshay Kolli
+                    </span>
+                    <span className="hidden font-mono text-[0.65rem] uppercase tracking-[0.14em] text-muted-strong sm:inline">
+                        Research
+                    </span>
                 </Link>
 
-                <div className="flex items-center gap-6 text-sm font-medium text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400">
+                <div className="flex items-center gap-4 text-[0.68rem] font-mono uppercase tracking-[0.14em] text-muted-strong sm:gap-5">
+                    <Link
+                        href="/"
+                        className={`transition-colors ${pathname === '/' ? 'text-ink' : 'hover:text-ink'}`}
+                    >
+                        Home
+                    </Link>
                     <Link
                         href="/blog"
-                        className={`transition-colors ${isActive('/blog') ? 'text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100 font-bold' : 'hover:text-zinc-900 dark:hover:text-zinc-100'}`}
+                        className={`transition-colors ${isActive('/blog') ? 'text-ink' : 'hover:text-ink'}`}
                     >
-                        Blog
+                        Writing
                     </Link>
                     <Link
                         href="/resume"
-                        className={`transition-colors ${isActive('/resume') ? 'text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100 font-bold' : 'hover:text-zinc-900 dark:hover:text-zinc-100'}`}
+                        className={`transition-colors ${isActive('/resume') ? 'text-ink' : 'hover:text-ink'}`}
                     >
                         Resume
                     </Link>
-                    <div className="w-px h-4 bg-zinc-200 dark:bg-zinc-800 hidden sm:block"></div>
-                    <a href="https://code.akkolli.net/lepton" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-label="Code repositories" className="hover:text-zinc-900 dark:hover:text-zinc-100 transition-colors hidden sm:block">
-                        Code
-                    </a>
-                    <a href="https://github.com/akkolli" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-label="GitHub profile" className="hover:text-zinc-900 dark:hover:text-zinc-100 transition-colors hidden sm:block">
+                    <a
+                        href="https://github.com/akkolli"
+                        target="_blank"
+                        rel="noopener noreferrer"
+                        aria-label="GitHub profile"
+                        className="hidden transition-colors hover:text-ink sm:block"
+                    >
                         GitHub
                     </a>
-                    <a href="https://x.com/thekolliakshay" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-label="Twitter profile" className="hover:text-zinc-900 dark:hover:text-zinc-100 transition-colors hidden sm:block">
-                        Twitter
-                    </a>
+                    <ThemeToggle />
                 </div>
             </div>
         </nav>
diff --git a/components/layout/ThemeToggle.tsx b/components/layout/ThemeToggle.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b79a87a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/layout/ThemeToggle.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+"use client";
+
+type Theme = "light" | "dark";
+
+const STORAGE_KEY = "theme-preference";
+
+function applyTheme(theme: Theme) {
+  document.documentElement.dataset.theme = theme;
+  window.localStorage.setItem(STORAGE_KEY, theme);
+}
+
+function getCurrentTheme(): Theme {
+  const currentTheme = document.documentElement.dataset.theme;
+  if (currentTheme === "light" || currentTheme === "dark") {
+    return currentTheme;
+  }
+
+  return window.matchMedia("(prefers-color-scheme: dark)").matches ? "dark" : "light";
+}
+
+export function ThemeToggle() {
+  const toggleTheme = () => {
+    const nextTheme = getCurrentTheme() === "dark" ? "light" : "dark";
+    applyTheme(nextTheme);
+  };
+
+  return (
+    <button
+      type="button"
+      onClick={toggleTheme}
+      title="Toggle color theme"
+      aria-label="Toggle color theme"
+      className="theme-toggle inline-flex h-8 w-8 items-center justify-center rounded-full border border-transparent text-muted-strong transition-colors hover:border-line hover:text-ink"
+    >
+      <span className="sr-only">Toggle color theme</span>
+      <svg
+        aria-hidden="true"
+        viewBox="0 0 24 24"
+        className="theme-toggle__sun h-3.5 w-3.5 fill-none stroke-current"
+        strokeWidth="1.7"
+        strokeLinecap="round"
+        strokeLinejoin="round"
+      >
+        <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="4" />
+        <path d="M12 2.5v2.2" />
+        <path d="M12 19.3v2.2" />
+        <path d="m4.9 4.9 1.6 1.6" />
+        <path d="m17.5 17.5 1.6 1.6" />
+        <path d="M2.5 12h2.2" />
+        <path d="M19.3 12h2.2" />
+        <path d="m4.9 19.1 1.6-1.6" />
+        <path d="m17.5 6.5 1.6-1.6" />
+      </svg>
+      <svg
+        aria-hidden="true"
+        viewBox="0 0 24 24"
+        className="theme-toggle__moon h-3.5 w-3.5 fill-none stroke-current"
+        strokeWidth="1.7"
+        strokeLinecap="round"
+        strokeLinejoin="round"
+      >
+        <path d="M21 12.8A9 9 0 1 1 11.2 3a7 7 0 0 0 9.8 9.8Z" />
+      </svg>
+    </button>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/components/mdx/Citation.tsx b/components/mdx/Citation.tsx
index be95d5d..38e7be4 100644
--- a/components/mdx/Citation.tsx
+++ b/components/mdx/Citation.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ export function Citation({ id, index }: { id: string; index: number }) {
         <sup id={`cite-ref-${id}`} className="ml-0.5">
             <a
                 href={`#cite-note-${id}`}
-                className="text-zinc-500 hover:text-zinc-900 dark:hover:text-zinc-100 transition-colors font-mono text-[10px] no-underline"
+                className="font-mono text-[10px] text-muted-strong transition-colors no-underline hover:text-ink"
             >
                 [{index}]
             </a>
@@ -15,13 +15,13 @@ export function Bibliography({ items, children }: { items?: { id: string; conten
     if (!items && !children) return null;
 
     return (
-        <div className="mt-12 pt-8 border-t border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800">
-            <h3 className="text-sm font-bold uppercase tracking-wider text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100 mb-4">References</h3>
-            <ol className="list-decimal pl-4 space-y-2 text-sm text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400">
-                {Array.isArray(items) && items.map((item, i) => (
+        <div className="mt-12 border-t border-line pt-8">
+            <h3 className="eyebrow mb-4">References</h3>
+            <ol className="list-decimal space-y-2 pl-4 text-[0.94rem] leading-7 text-muted">
+                {Array.isArray(items) && items.map((item) => (
                     <li key={item.id} id={`cite-note-${item.id}`}>
                         {item.content}
-                        <a href={`#cite-ref-${item.id}`} className="ml-2 hover:text-zinc-900 dark:hover:text-zinc-100">
+                        <a href={`#cite-ref-${item.id}`} className="ml-2 transition-colors hover:text-ink">
                             ↩
                         </a>
                     </li>
diff --git a/components/mdx/MobileTableOfContents.tsx b/components/mdx/MobileTableOfContents.tsx
index 533c721..babd2d6 100644
--- a/components/mdx/MobileTableOfContents.tsx
+++ b/components/mdx/MobileTableOfContents.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,3 @@
-'use client';
-
-import { useState } from 'react';
-
 type Heading = {
     id: string;
     text: string;
@@ -9,42 +5,28 @@ type Heading = {
 };
 
 export function MobileTableOfContents({ headings }: { headings: Heading[] }) {
-    const [isOpen, setIsOpen] = useState(false);
-
     if (headings.length === 0) return null;
 
     return (
-        <div className="block xl:hidden mb-8 border border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800 rounded-lg overflow-hidden">
-            <button
-                onClick={() => setIsOpen(!isOpen)}
-                aria-expanded={isOpen}
-                aria-controls="mobile-toc"
-                className="w-full flex items-center justify-between p-4 bg-zinc-50 dark:bg-zinc-900 text-sm font-medium text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100"
-            >
-                <span>Table of Contents</span>
-                <span className={`transform transition-transform ${isOpen ? 'rotate-180' : ''}`}>
-                    ▼
-                </span>
-            </button>
-
-            {isOpen && (
-                <ul id="mobile-toc" className="p-4 bg-white dark:bg-black border-t border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800 space-y-3">
-                    {headings.map((heading) => (
-                        <li
-                            key={heading.id}
-                            style={{ paddingLeft: `${(heading.level - 2) * 12}px` }}
+        <details className="mb-8 border-y border-line py-4">
+            <summary className="eyebrow cursor-pointer list-none">
+                Contents
+            </summary>
+            <ul className="mt-4 space-y-2">
+                {headings.map((heading) => (
+                    <li
+                        key={heading.id}
+                        style={{ paddingLeft: `${(heading.level - 2) * 12}px` }}
+                    >
+                        <a
+                            href={`#${heading.id}`}
+                            className="block text-[0.94rem] leading-7 text-muted transition-colors hover:text-ink"
                         >
-                            <a
-                                href={`#${heading.id}`}
-                                onClick={() => setIsOpen(false)}
-                                className="block text-sm text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400 hover:text-zinc-900 dark:hover:text-zinc-100 truncate"
-                            >
-                                {heading.text}
-                            </a>
-                        </li>
-                    ))}
-                </ul>
-            )}
-        </div>
+                            {heading.text}
+                        </a>
+                    </li>
+                ))}
+            </ul>
+        </details>
     );
 }
diff --git a/components/mdx/SideNote.tsx b/components/mdx/SideNote.tsx
index 0f9c5f3..8fd86c0 100644
--- a/components/mdx/SideNote.tsx
+++ b/components/mdx/SideNote.tsx
@@ -1,12 +1,8 @@
 export function SideNote({ children, title }: { children: React.ReactNode; title?: string }) {
     return (
-        <aside className="my-6 p-4 bg-zinc-50 dark:bg-zinc-900/50 border-l-2 border-zinc-300 dark:border-zinc-700 text-sm text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400 font-light italic rounded-r-lg lg:absolute lg:right-0 lg:w-64 lg:mr-[-20rem] lg:my-0 lg:p-0 lg:bg-transparent lg:dark:bg-transparent lg:border-0 lg:not-italic lg:rounded-none">
-            {/* Mobile/Tablet view: distinct block */}
-            {/* Desktop view: Absolute positioning to the right margin */}
-            <span className="lg:block lg:text-xs lg:leading-relaxed">
-                {title && <strong className="block mb-1 text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-200 not-italic">{title}</strong>}
-                {children}
-            </span>
-        </aside>
+        <span role="note" className="side-note">
+            {title ? <strong>{title}</strong> : null}
+            {children}
+        </span>
     );
 }
diff --git a/components/mdx/TableOfContents.tsx b/components/mdx/TableOfContents.tsx
index f0c89d0..fa5e0fc 100644
--- a/components/mdx/TableOfContents.tsx
+++ b/components/mdx/TableOfContents.tsx
@@ -54,19 +54,19 @@ export function TableOfContents({ headings }: { headings: Heading[] }) {
     if (headings.length === 0) return null;
 
     return (
-        <nav aria-label="Table of contents" className="text-sm animate-fade-in text-left">
-            <h4 className="font-bold text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-100 mb-4 uppercase tracking-wider text-xs">On this page</h4>
-            <ul className="space-y-3">
+        <nav aria-label="Table of contents" className="text-left">
+            <h4 className="eyebrow mb-4">Contents</h4>
+            <ul className="space-y-2">
                 {Array.isArray(headings) && headings.map((heading) => (
                     <li
                         key={heading.id}
-                        style={{ paddingRight: `${(heading.level - 2) * 12}px` }}
+                        style={{ paddingLeft: `${(heading.level - 2) * 10}px` }}
                     >
                         <a
                             href={`#${heading.id}`}
-                            className={`block transition-all duration-200 border-l-2 pl-4 ${activeId === heading.id
-                                ? 'border-zinc-900 dark:border-zinc-100 text-zinc-900 dark:text-zinc-50 font-bold'
-                                : 'border-transparent text-zinc-500 dark:text-zinc-500 hover:text-zinc-700 dark:hover:text-zinc-300'
+                            className={`block text-[0.82rem] leading-6 transition-colors ${activeId === heading.id
+                                ? 'text-ink'
+                                : 'text-muted hover:text-ink'
                                 }`}
                         >
                             {heading.text}
diff --git a/public/profile.jpeg b/public/profile.jpeg
index 65e1cc8..88fd6a0 100644
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diff --git a/public/profile_old.jpeg b/public/profile_old.jpeg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..65e1cc8
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diff --git a/visitors.db b/visitors.db
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..159e90a
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diff --git a/visitors.db-shm b/visitors.db-shm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..43e8908
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diff --git a/visitors.db-wal b/visitors.db-wal
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..185f796
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