-

May 21, 2026

Building Layouts Without Elementor

Block-Theme-Structure-theme-json

After learning:

  • Gutenberg
  • Block Themes
  • Full Site Editing
  • theme.json

I finally reached the phase I had been most curious about from the beginning:

“How do you actually build modern layouts without Elementor?”

Because honestly…

for the past few years, my entire workflow has been heavily centered around page builders 😭

If I wanted to create:

  • hero sections
  • card layouts
  • CTA sections
  • portfolio grids
  • responsive layouts

I could simply:
drag → drop → style → done.

So when I started seriously exploring Block Themes, one question kept repeating in my head:

“Is Gutenberg actually powerful enough to build modern websites?”

And surprisingly…
the answer is:

yes — but the mindset is completely different.

The Biggest Difference Is the Mindset

This is the first thing I immediately noticed.

My Old Elementor Workflow

Previously, my workflow looked something like this:

Create section
→ Add columns
→ Insert widgets
→ Style everything
→ Done

Very visual.
Very fast.
Very convenient for prototyping.

My Gutenberg Workflow Now

Now the workflow feels more like this:

Build structure
→ Create hierarchy
→ Organize spacing
→ Use reusable blocks
→ Build scalable layouts

At first it felt slower.

But over time, I started realizing:
this approach creates much cleaner layouts.

Gutenberg Is Not a Traditional Page Builder

This was probably my biggest realization.

Gutenberg feels less like:

a drag-and-drop builder

and more like:

a layout architecture system.

Instead of focusing mainly on visual widgets, Gutenberg encourages developers to think about:

  • structure
  • hierarchy
  • spacing
  • composition
  • reusable systems

And honestly…
this feels much closer to modern frontend development.

Group Block Becomes the Foundation

Coming from Elementor, I was used to:

  • sections
  • containers
  • widgets

But in Gutenberg:

Group Block becomes the core foundation.

Most modern layouts rely heavily on:

  • Group
  • Row
  • Stack

And surprisingly…
Group Block is much more powerful than I originally expected.

It can control:

  • layout structure
  • spacing
  • width
  • backgrounds
  • section wrappers

Row & Stack Feel Like Modern Flex Layouts

These two blocks changed how I think about layouts.

Row Block

Used for:

  • horizontal layouts
  • navbars
  • button groups
  • inline content

It behaves similarly to:

display: flex;
flex-direction: row;

Stack Block

Used for:

  • vertical layouts
  • card structures
  • spacing systems

Similar to:

display: flex;
flex-direction: column;

And honestly…
combining:

Group + Row + Stack

is already enough to build many modern layouts.

From Widget Thinking to Layout Thinking

This mindset shift was huge for me.

Previously, I often thought:

“Which widget should I use?”

Now I’m starting to think:

“What structure should I build?”

And surprisingly…
this feels much more scalable.

Because the focus shifts toward:

  • hierarchy
  • consistency
  • spacing
  • composition
  • reusable systems

instead of:

  • stacking widgets
  • adding excessive effects
  • constantly tweaking sections

Responsive Design Feels Different

At first, this was one of my biggest concerns.

Because with Elementor, responsive workflows often involve:

  • desktop tweaks
  • tablet tweaks
  • mobile tweaks

manually.

But Gutenberg encourages:

natural responsiveness.

And after experimenting with it…
I actually started liking this approach.

Gutenberg Relies Heavily on Flexbox Thinking

Modern block layouts use:

  • flexbox
  • fluid spacing
  • intrinsic responsiveness

Instead of creating endless responsive overrides, Gutenberg encourages developers to:

build layouts that are naturally responsive from the beginning.

And honestly…
this feels very modern.

Patterns Make the Workflow Faster

Initially, I thought Gutenberg would slow down my workflow.

But then I discovered:

Patterns.

And honestly…
Patterns completely changed my perspective.

Because now I can create:

  • reusable hero sections
  • reusable CTAs
  • reusable portfolio layouts
  • reusable testimonials
  • reusable UI systems

Build once → reuse everywhere.

This started feeling very similar to:

  • component systems
  • UI libraries
  • scalable frontend architecture

Spacing Suddenly Became Extremely Important

This was another interesting realization.

With Elementor, I sometimes adjusted:

  • margin manually
  • padding manually
  • spacing section by section

But Gutenberg made me think more about:

  • spacing systems
  • layout rhythm
  • visual consistency
  • scalable spacing

And surprisingly…
layouts started feeling much cleaner.

Modern Layouts Don’t Need Excessive Animations

This was another mindset shift for me.

Previously, I often associated:
modern websites = lots of animations.

But the deeper I explore Gutenberg and Block Themes…

the more I realize:
great modern websites are usually:

  • clean
  • structured
  • readable
  • performant
  • consistent

Animations still matter.
But:

spacing and structure matter even more.

The Biggest Challenge During the Transition

Honestly…
transitioning away from Elementor is not always easy 😭

Some things still feel:

  • slower
  • more manual
  • less visual
  • more technical

And sometimes I still catch myself thinking:

“Elementor would be faster for this…” 😭

But at the same time…
I’m starting to understand why many developers prefer modern native WordPress workflows.

Because the final result feels:

  • cleaner
  • more scalable
  • easier to maintain
  • more future-proof

My Biggest Realization So Far

The deeper I explore Gutenberg layouts, the more I realize:

Modern WordPress is encouraging developers to think more like:

system designers

instead of simply:

widget arrangers.

And honestly…
I think that shift is incredibly interesting.

Final Thoughts

At this phase, I realized that building layouts without Elementor is not simply about:

changing tools.

It’s about:

changing the way you think about layouts.

From:

  • widget thinking

to:

  • layout systems
  • reusable structures
  • scalable architecture

And honestly…
the deeper I explore Gutenberg, the more I feel it has huge potential for the future of modern WordPress workflows 👀

Next Learning Phase

In the next phase, I’ll start learning:

Creating Reusable Patterns & Modern UI Systems

Because apparently…
Patterns might be one of the most powerful features inside the Gutenberg ecosystem 🔥

Scroll to Top