Ever wished that your Kubuntu desktop looked a little bit more like Ubuntu, with its warm tones and orange highlights?

If you answered no then you’re free to return to whatever it was you were doing before following a link here.

But if you answered yes, read on…

Ambiance Theme for KDE

Thanks to KDE’s theming versatility, and the work of prolific Linux designer Half Left, we can achieve an Ambiance-style look relatively easy.

Part 1

kde4ubuntu

The first part is simple enough. Just download the following Ambiance theme for the KDE Plasma desktop:

Ambiance Theme for KDE Plasma

Install them theme by extracting the contents of the .zip file to your ~/.kde/share/apps/desktoptheme/ folder.

After installation, select the theme from the System Settings > Workspace > Appearance > Desktop Theme

This will re-style the main desktop elements, along with many of KDE’s widgets, to look Ambiance-y.

Part 2

dolphin-ambiance

The second part themes other elements of the KDE4 interface.

Download the .Zip file from the following link:

Ambiance Plasma for KDE

Next, you need to check that you have the QtCurve Widget Style installed. You’ll find it listed under the ‘Style‘ section of ‘Application Appearance‘ in settings.

If you don’t have it installed just click the following button:

Click to Install QtCurve in Kubuntu

Part 3

The last – and easiest part – is to set GTK apps to use the Ambiance Theme.

If you have the Ubuntu desktop installed alongside KDE you can do this by running the ‘gnome-settings’daemon’ from a Konsole in KDE.

If you don’t then you’ll need to install a few extra packages, including the Ubuntu Light Themes packages and an appropriate settings tool capable of setting GTK themes (unsettings, etc).

KDE Themes