However, the stock Ubuntu distro has a pretty drab look and after feisting my eyes all day on Mac’s gorgeous OSX looks, coming to my box always feels like a leap back into the 80’s of beige boxes (incidentally, mine is a self-assembled box with some gorgeous looks).

So today, I decided to “pimp it up” with a new theme; icon set; and a bunch of new desktop wallpapers.

This is what it looks like right now:

I would like to give credit to “Double LL Records” and his YouTube install
compiz and install themes videos: you may find it difficult to get past
his “accented fake rapper” diction, but it’s definitely worth to follow along.

The steps to make it happen have been pretty simple, courtesy of NoobsLab and the wonderful people creating such great visuals and sharing it with the world.

1. Open Ubuntu Software Center and install Unity Tweak Tool

2. Install Ambiance Dark Blue Theme and Numix-bluish:

   sudo add-apt-repository ppa:noobslab/themes
   sudo apt-get update
   sudo apt-get install ambiance-dark-blue numix-bluish-theme
   

3. Install Ubudao Iconset:

   sudo add-apt-repository ppa:noobslab/icons
   sudo apt-get update
   sudo apt-get install ubudao-style
   

4. Install Wallpaper Manager:

   sudo add-apt-repository ppa:baitsart/wallpaper-manager
   sudo apt-get update
   sudo apt-get install wallpaper-manager
   

5. Launch the Unity Tweak Tool and select the Theme and Icon set you just installed;

   

6. Visit the Ubuntu Wallpapers page on HD Wallpapers and dowload a set
   of wallpapers that you think you’d enjoy, into a folders (let’s call it ${HOME}/Pictures/wallpapers/ubuntu-hd); then click on Wallpaper Manager icon (it should be running on the top system bar – if not, launch it using Ubuntu unity) and select All images --> Open folder to xml (admittedly, not the most intuitive of menu names), navigate to the folder and let WM do the magic (it will essentially create an XML file that Ubuntu understands to list a number of pictures to rotate as wallpapers).

Et voila’ – your Ubuntu box now looks as gorgeous and engaging as any Mac laptop ever did!

PS – yes, those are Coldplay Live (at BBC, 2014) 😉