During the past couple years I’ve become a huge proponent of WordPress. The open-source CMS has evolved from niche blog platform to full fledged site manager. WordPress now consists of 22 percent of all new active sites on the Internet and I believe this number will only skyrocket upward.
In honor of my predicted growth, I bring you my weekly roundup of the best WordPress theme releases of the month. In most cases these will be brand new themes, but every once in awhile I will include an incremental theme update, a theme I missed, etc. Without further ado, my favorite WordPress themes of January 2011.
Braun Premium WordPress Theme

Why Braun is a Great WordPress Theme
- Fully tested in WordPress 3.3
- Elegant, minimal design.
- Visually appealing grid elements.
- Two Flexible homepage options.
Note: I haven’t actually tested Braun so I cannot attest to the backend workings of the theme. From this theme and the developer’s ratings, I imagine it will be good.
Reach Business Portfolio WordPress Theme

This offbeat business and portfolio theme is one of my favorite themes to come across my computer screen in quite awhile. I like this WordPress theme because it’s striking, somewhat daring, and different from a lot of the formulaic releases we see out there. Sure, this site isn’t for everyone, but if you’re a little fun, and have the cool to pull it off, I highly recommend Reach.
A few of my favorite features include:
- Great background options including a custom full screen image and full screen slideshow background.
- Excellent multimedia post formats create a sharp, distinct experience.
- Awesome shortcodes. Did you notice, the entire homepage is composed of shortcodes? That’s a great theme.
- Great image hovers and staff page.
- Most of all, this theme just pops.