diff --git a/components/Settings/AppSettings/Appearance.vue b/components/Settings/AppSettings/Appearance.vue
index 135c0a1..3adfda6 100644
--- a/components/Settings/AppSettings/Appearance.vue
+++ b/components/Settings/AppSettings/Appearance.vue
@@ -1,14 +1,100 @@
 <template>
   <div>
-    <h1>hi</h1>
-    <h5>TEST</h5>
-    <h5>TEST</h5>
+    <h1>Appearance</h1>
+    
+    <p class="subtitle">THEMES</p>
+    <div class="themes">
+      <div v-for="theme of themes" class="theme-preview-container">
+        <span class="theme-preview"
+          :title="theme.displayName"
+          :style="{background:`linear-gradient(${theme.previewGradient})`}"
+          @click="changeTheme(theme.id, theme.themeUrl)"
+        >
+          <span class="theme-title" :style="{color:`${theme.complementaryColor}`}">
+            {{ theme.displayName }}
+          </span>
+        </span>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+
+    <p class="subtitle">ICONS</p>
+    <div class="themes">
+    </div>
+
+
   </div>
 </template>
 
 <script lang="ts" setup>
+const runtimeConfig = useRuntimeConfig()
+const defaultThemes = runtimeConfig.public.defaultThemes
+const baseURL = runtimeConfig.app.baseURL;
+let themeLinkElement: HTMLLinkElement | null = null;
+
+const themes: Array<Theme> = []
+
+interface Theme {
+  id: string
+  displayName: string
+  previewGradient: string
+  complementaryColor: string
+  themeUrl: string
+}
+
+function changeTheme(id: string, url: string) {
+  if (themeLinkElement && themeLinkElement.getAttribute('href') === `${baseURL}themes/${url}`) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  localStorage.setItem("selectedTheme", id);
+
+  // if the theme didn't originally load for some reason, create it
+  if (!themeLinkElement) {
+    themeLinkElement = document.createElement('link');
+    themeLinkElement.rel = 'stylesheet';
+    document.head.appendChild(themeLinkElement);
+  }
+
+  themeLinkElement.href = `${baseURL}themes/${url}`;
+}
+
+async function fetchThemes() {
+  for (const theme of defaultThemes) {
+    const themeConfig = await $fetch(`${baseURL}themes/${theme}.json`) as Theme
+    themeConfig.id = theme
+
+    themes.push(themeConfig)
+  }
+}
+
+await fetchThemes()
 </script>
 
 <style scoped>
+.themes {
+  display: flex;
+}
 
-</style>
\ No newline at end of file
+.theme-preview-container {
+  margin: .5em;
+  width: 5em;
+  height: 5em;
+}
+
+.theme-preview {
+  width: 5em;
+  height: 5em;
+  border-radius: 100%;
+  border: .1em solid var(--primary-color);
+
+  display: inline-block;
+  text-align: center;
+  align-content: center;
+  cursor: pointer;
+}
+
+.theme-title {
+  font-size: .8em;
+  line-height: 5em; /* same height as the parent to centre it vertically */
+}
+</style>
diff --git a/components/Settings/UserSettings/Account.vue b/components/Settings/UserSettings/Account.vue
index 85589e7..866471e 100644
--- a/components/Settings/UserSettings/Account.vue
+++ b/components/Settings/UserSettings/Account.vue
@@ -70,13 +70,6 @@ async function deleteAccount() {
 </script>
 
 <style scoped>
-.subtitle {
-  display: block;
-  font-size: 0.8em;
-  font-weight: 800;
-  margin: 4dvh 0 0.5dvh 0.25dvw;
-}
-
 .user-data-fields {
   min-width: 35dvw;
   max-width: 35dvw;
diff --git a/components/Settings/UserSettings/Profile.vue b/components/Settings/UserSettings/Profile.vue
index ed7da0a..db6188e 100644
--- a/components/Settings/UserSettings/Profile.vue
+++ b/components/Settings/UserSettings/Profile.vue
@@ -108,13 +108,6 @@ async function changeAvatar() {
   display: flex;
 }
 
-.subtitle {
-  display: block;
-  font-size: 0.8em;
-  font-weight: 800;
-  margin: 1.5dvh 0 0.5dvh 0.25dvw;
-}
-
 .user-data-fields {
   min-width: 35dvw;
   max-width: 35dvw;
diff --git a/nuxt.config.ts b/nuxt.config.ts
index 05a40fa..489e1b8 100644
--- a/nuxt.config.ts
+++ b/nuxt.config.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@ export default defineNuxtConfig({
       messageGroupingMaxDifference: 300000,
       buildTimeString: new Date().toISOString(),
       gitHash: process.env.GIT_SHORT_REV || "N/A",
+      defaultThemes: [
+        "light", "ash", "dark"
+      ]
     }
   },
   /* nitro: {
diff --git a/pages/settings.vue b/pages/settings.vue
index bd1a484..17558b1 100644
--- a/pages/settings.vue
+++ b/pages/settings.vue
@@ -40,10 +40,7 @@
 
 
 <script lang="ts" setup>
-import Button from '~/components/Button.vue';
-
 const { logout } = useAuth()
-
 const appConfig = useRuntimeConfig()
 
 interface Page {
@@ -99,6 +96,16 @@ function selectCategory(page: Page) {
   selectedPage.value = page.displayName;
 };
 
+// redirects to you privacy if you go to settings#privacy
+onMounted(() => {
+  const hash = window.location.hash.substring(1).toLowerCase();
+  const foundPage = categories.flatMap(category => category.pages).find(page => page.displayName.toLowerCase() === hash);
+
+  if (foundPage) {
+    currentPage.value = foundPage;
+    selectedPage.value = foundPage.displayName;
+  }
+});
 </script>
 
 <style scoped>
@@ -180,7 +187,10 @@ function selectCategory(page: Page) {
 }
 
 /* applies to child pages too */
-:deep(h5) {
-  color: red;
+:deep(.subtitle) {
+  display: block;
+  font-size: 0.8em;
+  font-weight: 800;
+  margin: 4dvh 0 0.5dvh 0.25dvw;
 }
 </style>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/public/themes/ash.css b/public/themes/ash.css
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b685551
--- /dev/null
+++ b/public/themes/ash.css
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+:root {
+	--text-color: #f0e5e0;
+	--secondary-text-color: #e8e0db;
+
+	--chat-background-color: #2f2e2d;
+    --chat-highlighted-background-color: #3f3b38;
+	--sidebar-background-color: #3e3a37;
+	--sidebar-highlighted-background-color: #46423b;
+	--topbar-background-color: #3a3733;
+
+    --padding-color: #e0e0e0;
+    
+	--primary-color: #f07028;
+	--primary-highlighted-color: #f28f4b;
+	--secondary-color: #683820;
+	--secondary-highlighted-color: #885830;
+	--accent-color: #a04b24;
+	--accent-highlighted-color: #b86038;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/public/themes/ash.json b/public/themes/ash.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d5d2a59
--- /dev/null
+++ b/public/themes/ash.json
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{
+	"displayName": "Ash",
+	"previewGradient": "45deg, #2f2e2d, #46423b",
+	"complementaryColor": "white",
+	"themeUrl": "ash.css"
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/public/themes/dark.json b/public/themes/dark.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4731d43
--- /dev/null
+++ b/public/themes/dark.json
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{
+	"displayName": "Dark",
+	"previewGradient": "45deg, #1f1e1d, #36322b",
+	"complementaryColor": "white",
+	"themeUrl": "dark.css"
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/public/themes/default-themes.json b/public/themes/default-themes.json
deleted file mode 100644
index fb9478d..0000000
--- a/public/themes/default-themes.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-[
-	"dark.css",
-	"light.css"
-]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/public/themes/light.json b/public/themes/light.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b95c78b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/public/themes/light.json
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{
+	"displayName": "Light",
+	"previewGradient": "45deg, #f0ebe8, #d4d0ca",
+	"complementaryColor": "black",
+	"themeUrl": "light.css"
+}
\ No newline at end of file