Design Your Perfect Home Assistant Dashboard: A How-To Guide

Introduction

Your smart home is a powerful, finely-tuned machine running behind the scenes. But what about its control panel? If your Home Assistant dashboard feels like a cluttered garage—functional but disorganized—it’s time for a renovation. Think of your dashboard as the entryway to your smart home; it should be clean, intuitive, and designed for how you live.

Home Assistant’s user interface, known as Lovelace, is incredibly customizable. With the right plan and a few simple steps, you can transform it from a default list of devices into a beautiful, functional command center. This guide will walk you through the project from start to finish, just like any good home improvement job.

Safety First: Digital Precautions

In any project, safety comes first. For a software renovation like this, the rules are a bit different but just as important. Before you start, run through this quick safety checklist:

• Create a Full Backup: Before touching a single line of code or setting, go to Settings > System > Backups and create a full backup. This is your ultimate undo button.
• Work on a New Blueprint: Don’t tear down your main dashboard. We’ll be creating a brand-new, separate dashboard to experiment on. This leaves your current, working setup untouched.
• Know Your Controls: Be mindful when adding controls for critical systems like door locks, security alarms, or garage doors. Ensure you have confirmations or secondary steps in place to prevent accidental activation.
• Stay Local: Whenever possible, perform major configuration changes while connected to your home’s local network, not remotely. It’s faster, more reliable, and safer.

Tools & Materials List

Every project requires the right tools and materials. For a dashboard redesign, here’s what you’ll need to get the job done.

Tools (The Software)

• A working Home Assistant installation: The foundation of our project.
• A web browser on a desktop or laptop: While you can edit on a phone, a larger screen makes the design process much easier.
• (Optional) Home Assistant Community Store (HACS): The ultimate hardware store for custom themes and UI components (cards). If you don’t have it, installing it is highly recommended for true customization.
• (Optional) A text editor: For advanced users who want to dive into YAML mode, a tool like Visual Studio Code is invaluable.

Materials (The Components)

• Your smart devices: The lights, sensors, switches, and media players (known as “entities” in Home Assistant) that you’ve already added.
• A plan: A simple sketch on a piece of paper or a digital notepad outlining what you want to see and where.
• (Optional) Custom “Cards” and “Themes” from HACS: We recommend starting with the Mushroom Cards set for a clean, modern look.

Project Prep: Planning Your Dashboard

A great finish starts with good prep. Before you add a single card, take a few minutes to plan your new interface.

1. Define the Purpose: Ask yourself: Who is this for? Is it a personal control panel for your phone? A wall-mounted tablet for the family? An at-a-glance status screen? The purpose will define the design. For example, a family tablet should feature large, simple buttons for common tasks.

2. Inventory Your Devices: Make a list of the most critical devices and sensors you want quick access to. Group them logically, such as “Living Room Lights,” “Climate Control,” or “Evening Scene.” Don’t try to cram everything onto one screen.

3. Sketch a Layout: Grab a pen and paper and draw a rough blueprint. Will it be a single column for mobile or multiple columns for a tablet? Where will you place the most important information? A simple sketch will save you hours of rearranging cards later.

Step-by-Step Guide: Building Your Dashboard

With your plan in hand, it’s time to start building.

Step 1: Create a New Dashboard

First, let’s lay the foundation.

1. Navigate to Settings > Dashboards.
2. Click the blue Add Dashboard button in the bottom right.
3. Give your dashboard a Title (e.g., “Main Hub”), choose an Icon, and click Create. You now have a blank canvas to work on.

Step 2: Take Control of the View

By default, Home Assistant will try to auto-populate your dashboard. We want to build it from scratch.

1. Open your new, empty dashboard from the sidebar.
2. Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner and select Edit Dashboard.
3. You’ll see a message that says, “This dashboard is currently being managed by Home Assistant.” Click the button that says Take Control. Now you’re the architect.

Step 3: Add Your First Cards

“Cards” are the widgets that display information and controls. Let’s start with something simple.

1. Click the Add Card button.
2. A list of available card types will appear. Select the Entities Card. This is a great, all-purpose card for listing devices.
3. Give the card a Title, like “Living Room.”
4. Under Entities, start searching for and adding your living room lights and switches. You’ll see a live preview on the right.
5. Click Save. You’ve just made your first custom card!

Experiment with other basic cards, like the Gauge Card for temperature sensors or the Media Control Card for your smart speakers.

Step 4: Organize with Layout Cards

A single column of cards can get long. Use Layout Cards to organize your UI like a pro.

• Horizontal Stack: Place cards side-by-side. Perfect for grouping two or three related items, like temperature, humidity, and pressure gauges.
• Vertical Stack: Group cards on top of each other without a visual break.
• Grid Card: Create a clean grid of buttons or icons, giving you precise control over placement.

To use them, click Add Card, search for “Grid” or “Stack,” and then add your other cards inside the layout card’s configuration.

Step 5: Elevate Your UI with Custom Cards

This is where your dashboard goes from functional to beautiful. If you installed HACS, you can add custom cards like Mushroom Cards.

1. Go to HACS > Frontend and explore different card sets.
2. Install a pack like Mushroom, following its installation instructions.
3. Now, when you go to Add Card, you’ll see new options like “Mushroom Light Card” or “Mushroom Fan Card.”

Try replacing a basic light card with a Mushroom Light Card. You’ll immediately notice the improved aesthetics and added controls, like brightness sliders and color pickers, right on the card.

Step 6: Create Different Views (Tabs)

Don’t clutter one screen. Use views to create separate pages for different rooms or functions.

1. In Edit Mode, click the + icon at the top of the screen.
2. Give the new view a Title (e.g., “Climate”) and an Icon.
3. You now have a second, empty page in your dashboard where you can add all your climate-related cards. This keeps your primary UI focused and fast.

Finishing Touches & Cleanup

The main construction is done, but the finishing touches make all the difference.

1. Apply a Fresh Coat of Paint (Theme): Go to your user profile by clicking your initial in the bottom-left of the sidebar. In the Theme dropdown, select a new theme. Themes installed via HACS will appear here, allowing you to instantly change your dashboard from light to dark or apply a completely custom color scheme.

2. Test on All Devices: Open your new dashboard on your phone, a tablet, and your computer. Does the layout adapt well? If not, use Grid or Layout cards to improve how it looks on different screen sizes.

3. Set as Default: Once you’re happy, you can make this your primary dashboard. Go to Settings > Dashboards, click the three-dot menu next to your new creation, and select Set as default on this device.

4. Clean Up the Workspace: You can now hide your old, auto-generated dashboard by clicking the three-dot menu and unchecking Show in sidebar. This keeps your interface clean and directs everyone to the new-and-improved design.

Conclusion

You’ve done it! By planning, preparing, and building step-by-step, you’ve renovated your digital command center. Your new Home Assistant dashboard is now more than just a collection of buttons; it’s a personalized, efficient, and beautiful interface tailored to your home.

The best part about Home Assistant is that the project is never truly “done.” Don’t be afraid to keep experimenting with new cards, themes, and layouts as your smart home grows.