Bento Grid Layout Generator
Mixed-size tiles in a tight, deliberate arrangement — the Apple keynote look.
Named areas. The CSS is a picture of the layout, and only the properties that actually change get repeated inside each media query.
.bento {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr;
grid-template-rows: minmax(140px, auto) minmax(140px, auto) minmax(140px, auto);
gap: 12px;
grid-template-areas:
"feature feature"
"tile-a tile-b"
"tile-c tile-c";
}
.bento > .feature { grid-area: feature; }
.bento > .tile-a { grid-area: tile-a; }
.bento > .tile-b { grid-area: tile-b; }
.bento > .tile-c { grid-area: tile-c; }
@media (min-width: 860px) {
.bento {
grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr 1fr;
grid-template-rows: minmax(160px, auto) minmax(160px, auto);
gap: 16px;
grid-template-areas:
"feature feature tile-a tile-b"
"feature feature tile-c tile-c";
}
}
How this layout works
A bento grid is just a grid with intentionally uneven spans. The discipline is in keeping the tile sizes to a small set — one big, two medium, a few small — rather than letting every tile be its own size.
Set a fixed row height (minmax(140px, auto)) so tiles keep their proportions instead of collapsing to content height.
Every property used here is listed in the CSS Grid cheat sheet, with the reason to reach for it.
Frequently asked questions
What makes a bento grid look right?
How do I center a grid in CSS?
justify-content: center on the grid container to centre the whole grid inside it, and margin-inline: auto with a max-width to centre the container in the page. These are different jobs: the first moves the tracks within the container, the second moves the container itself.How do I center items inside a CSS grid?
place-items: center on the container. That is shorthand for align-items plus justify-items, and it centres every item inside its own cell on both axes. For a single item, use place-self: center on that item instead.How do I make a CSS grid responsive?
grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(260px, 1fr)) and it reflows at every width with no media queries at all. Add breakpoints only when the exact column count matters, or when the layout has to change shape rather than just wrap.When should I use CSS Grid instead of Flexbox?
How to use it
-
Open the pattern
The bento grid loads into the editor already responsive, with every breakpoint set up.
-
Change the tracks
Edit the column and row sizes in the Tracks panel. Anything valid in a track list works.
-
Redraw at another width
Move the ruler past a breakpoint marker and rearrange. Only the placement changes.
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Copy the code
Take CSS, HTML, Tailwind or a shadcn component. The media queries are already written.