vscode-dark-islands
VSCode theme based off the easemate IDE and Jetbrains islands theme
Islands Dark is a Visual Studio Code color theme that gives the editor a polished dark look with rounded panels, glass-like borders, and smooth animations, inspired by the JetBrains Islands design. It pairs syntax highlighting with custom CSS injected via a companion extension.
Islands Dark is a color theme for Visual Studio Code, the popular code editor. It gives the editor a deep dark look inspired by a design concept called easemate, with visual details borrowed from the JetBrains Islands theme. The goal is to make the editor feel more like a modern, polished desktop application with floating glass-like panels, rounded corners on every panel and dialog, and smooth hover animations throughout the interface.
The theme has two parts working together. The first is a standard VS Code color theme that controls syntax highlighting colors for code in languages like JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Go, Rust, HTML, and others. The second part is a set of CSS customizations that change the actual shape and appearance of the editor's panels, sidebars, tabs, scrollbars, and notifications, giving them rounded corners and a glass-border effect that the standard VS Code theming system does not support on its own. This second part requires a separate extension called Custom UI Style to inject those CSS changes.
Installation can be done with a single command in your terminal for macOS, Linux, or Windows. The script installs the theme, the Custom UI Style extension, the recommended fonts, backs up your existing settings, and applies the new ones automatically. A manual installation path is also documented for those who prefer step-by-step control. There is also a Nix flake option for users on NixOS or Home Manager that bundles everything including fonts.
Two fonts are used: IBM Plex Mono for the code editor area and FiraCode Nerd Font Mono for the terminal. A third font called Bear Sans UI is included in the repository and used for the sidebar, tabs, and status bar. All three need to be installed separately from the theme itself, though the install script reminds you.
After enabling the Custom UI Style extension, VS Code may show a warning about a corrupted installation. This is expected behavior because the extension injects CSS directly into the editor, and the README instructs users to dismiss that warning.
Where it fits
- Apply a dark polished theme to VS Code with rounded corners and glass-panel effects
- Set up IBM Plex Mono and FiraCode fonts in VS Code alongside the Islands Dark theme
- Use a one-command install script on macOS, Linux, or Windows to configure the full theme and fonts automatically