Darkroom FAQ

The questions merchants ask most, before and after installing the theme. For step-by-step setup, read the Darkroom documentation.

Is Darkroom only for skincare?

No. It is tuned for skincare and beauty (shade pickers, ingredients, routines), but it works for any brand that wants an editorial, conversion-focused store: fragrance, wellness, cosmetics, grooming.

Do I need any apps?

No paid ones. Cart drawer, predictive search, quick-add, variant and shade swatches, before and after, ingredients, routine and the sticky buy bar are all built into the theme. Three things need help from outside it, and two of those are free: collection filters and the complete-the-routine recommendations read their setup from Search & Discovery, Shopify's own free app, and reviews need a reviews app to collect them. The theme displays reviews, with a star summary, an empty state and a slot for your review app's own block, but no theme can collect a review. Darkroom also works alongside popular review and subscription apps.

Will it be fast on my store?

It starts light, which is the part a theme controls. The motion is CSS, so there is no JavaScript framework anywhere in Darkroom, and the build gate fails if any single page ships more than 16 KB of minified theme JavaScript, so it cannot quietly get heavier between updates. Every image carries explicit dimensions, so the page does not jump around while it loads. We will not quote you a load time: your own numbers depend on your images, your apps and your visitors' devices far more than on the theme. Measure your own store before and after you switch.

Can I change the dark look?

Yes. Four color schemes ship and every color is editable. You can run the whole store light, dark, or mix them section by section. In the theme editor they are listed as Scheme 1 to 4; in our documentation we call them Ink, Paper, Ember and Sage, in that order.

Can I use my own fonts?

You choose from Shopify's font library, which Shopify requires of every theme. Darkroom defaults to Archivo and DM Sans, and you can swap to any Shopify fonts in Theme settings, under Typography.

Does it support other languages and RTL?

Yes, with one thing worth knowing. Every string in the theme is translatable, and right-to-left languages such as Arabic and Hebrew mirror the layout automatically. Darkroom ships English only, so you add other languages yourself through Shopify's Translate and Adapt, or any translation app.

Can I use Darkroom on more than one store?

One purchase licenses the theme for one store. If you close the store it is installed on, Shopify lets you transfer the license to another store you own. Themes bought anywhere other than the Shopify Theme Store are not valid licenses and do not receive updates or support.

Do I get updates, and do they cost extra?

Updates are free for as long as you hold the license. New versions appear in your admin under Online Store, Themes, and Shopify's update flow carries your theme settings and section content across. Direct edits to the theme code do not carry across, so keep customization in theme settings where you can.

Are the animations accessible, and can I turn them off?

Every section has a Motion control (Off, Subtle, Cinematic), and all motion automatically respects a visitor's reduce motion system setting.

How do the shade and color swatches work?

Name a product option Color, Colour, Shade, Tone or Hue, or attach Shopify swatch data, and the picker renders swatch chips automatically. When there is no swatch data it falls back to a built-in map of common cosmetic shade names, then to CSS color names, then to a neutral chip. Any other option, such as Size or Volume, renders as pills.

Do the demo images come with the theme?

The demo uses placeholder photography to show the layout. Replace it with your own imagery, since you are responsible for the rights to any image you publish.

Which templates are included?

Home, product, collection (with filters), cart, search, blog, article, page, contact, 404 and password.

How do I get support?

Use our support form or email us, and we reply within 2 business days.

Still have a question?

The documentation covers every theme setting, every homepage section and the product page blocks, and it ends with a troubleshooting list for the issues that come up most. If your answer is not there, contact support with your store URL and a screenshot. We reply within 2 business days.