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CSS Styling

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) controls how your HTML looks — colors, layouts, fonts, spacing, and animations. Let's explore the key concepts with practical examples.

1. CSS Reset & Box Model

Browsers apply default styles that differ from one another. A CSS reset removes these inconsistencies. The box-sizing: border-box property ensures padding and border are included in an element's total width.

CSS Reset 
* {
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
    box-sizing: border-box;
}

body {
    font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont,
        "Segoe UI", Roboto, sans-serif;
    line-height: 1.75;
    color: #e8e0d5;
    background-color: #1a1612;
}

2. Colors & Typography

CSS offers multiple ways to define colors: named colors, hex codes, rgb(), and hsl(). Typography properties control font size, weight, spacing, and decoration.

Colors and fonts 
h1 {
    font-size: 62px;
    font-weight: 700;
    letter-spacing: -1.5px;
    color: #f5e8d3;
}

p {
    font-size: 18px;
    color: rgba(232, 224, 213, 0.92);
    max-width: 640px;
}

a {
    text-decoration: none;
    color: inherit;
    transition: color 0.3s ease;
}

a:hover {
    color: #d4b48c;
}

3. Flexbox Layout

Flexbox is the go-to layout model for one-dimensional alignment. Use display: flex to create a flex container, then control alignment and spacing with properties like justify-content and gap.

Flexbox — Navigation layout 
.nav-container {
    max-width: 1280px;
    margin: 0 auto;
    display: flex;
    align-items: center;
    justify-content: space-between;
    padding: 0 40px;
}

nav ul {
    list-style: none;
    display: flex;
    gap: 40px;
    align-items: center;
}

.hero-buttons {
    display: flex;
    gap: 24px;
    flex-wrap: wrap;
}
💡 Tip: justify-content: space-between pushes items to opposite edges. Combined with align-items: center, it perfectly aligns a logo on the left and nav links on the right.

4. Sticky Header & Backdrop Blur

A sticky header remains visible while scrolling. The backdrop-filter property creates a frosted glass (glassmorphism) effect, a popular modern design trend.

Sticky header 
header {
    background-color: rgba(26, 22, 18, 0.95);
    backdrop-filter: blur(8px);
    padding: 22px 0;
    position: sticky;
    top: 0;
    z-index: 100;
    border-bottom: 1px solid #3c2f2f;
}

5. Background Images & Overlays

Use background-image with cover to create full-width hero banners. A pseudo-element (::before) overlay adds a dark tint so text remains readable.

Hero background with overlay 
.hero {
    position: relative;
    height: 720px;
    background-image: url('../img/hero.jpg');
    background-size: cover;
    background-position: center;
    display: flex;
    align-items: center;
}

.hero::before {
    content: '';
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;  left: 0;
    width: 100%;  height: 100%;
    background: linear-gradient(
        rgba(26,22,18,0.65),
        rgba(26,22,18,0.75)
    );
    z-index: 1;
}

.hero-content {
    position: relative;
    z-index: 2;
}
📌 Note: The overlay uses z-index: 1 while the content has z-index: 2 so it appears above the dark layer. This technique works with any background image.

6. Button Styles

Two common button patterns: a solid CTA (Call to Action) button and a "ghost" button with a transparent background and visible border. Hover effects add polish.

Button styling 
.btn-cta {
    background-color: #d4b48c;
    color: #1a1612;
    padding: 18px 44px;
    border: none;
    border-radius: 50px;
    font-weight: 600;
    text-decoration: none;
    transition: all 0.4s ease;
}

.btn-cta:hover {
    background-color: #e8d0a8;
    transform: translateY(-3px);
}

.btn-ghost {
    background-color: transparent;
    color: #e8e0d5;
    padding: 18px 44px;
    border: 2px solid #e8e0d5;
    border-radius: 50px;
    transition: all 0.4s ease;
}

.btn-ghost:hover {
    background-color: #e8e0d5;
    color: #1a1612;
}

7. CSS Grid — Card Layouts

CSS Grid is ideal for two-dimensional layouts. The auto-fit keyword with minmax() creates automatically responsive grids without media queries.

Responsive grid 
.service-grid {
    display: grid;
    grid-template-columns: repeat(
        auto-fit, minmax(340px, 1fr)
    );
    gap: 40px;
}

.service-card {
    background: #24201b;
    border-radius: 20px;
    overflow: hidden;
    transition: transform 0.4s, box-shadow 0.4s;
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: column;
}

.service-card:hover {
    transform: translateY(-12px);
    box-shadow: 0 25px 50px
        rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.35);
}
💡 Tip: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(340px, 1fr)) automatically adjusts the number of columns based on available space — no breakpoints needed for the grid itself.

8. Transitions & Hover Effects

The transition property adds smooth animated changes when CSS values update. Combine it with :hover for interactive, polished UI elements.

Hover transitions 
.tab-btn {
    background-color: #1a1612;
    color: #e8e0d5;
    border: 2px solid #3c2f2f;
    padding: 16px 32px;
    border-radius: 50px;
    cursor: pointer;
    transition: all 0.4s ease;
}

.tab-btn:hover {
    background-color: #2a211b;
    border-color: #d4b48c;
}

.tab-btn.active {
    background-color: #d4b48c;
    color: #1a1612;
    font-weight: 600;
}

.gallery-image {
    width: 100%;
    object-fit: cover;
    transition: opacity 0.5s ease;
}

9. Responsive Design — Media Queries

Media queries apply styles only when certain conditions are met (like screen width). This lets you adapt layouts for phones, tablets, and desktops.

Responsive breakpoints 
@media (max-width: 768px) {
    .service-grid {
        grid-template-columns: 1fr;
    }

    .hero {
        height: 620px;
    }

    .hero h1 {
        font-size: 48px;
    }

    .nav-container {
        padding: 0 20px;
    }
}
📌 Note: @media (max-width: 768px) targets screens 768px wide or narrower. At this breakpoint, the grid collapses to a single column and font sizes are reduced for mobile readability.
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