diff --git a/QtPyLoT.py b/QtPyLoT.py
index 9cee1a45..6a75b495 100755
--- a/QtPyLoT.py
+++ b/QtPyLoT.py
@@ -578,7 +578,7 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
 
         # create central matplotlib figure canvas widget
         self.pg = pg
-        #self.set_style('custom')
+        #self.set_style('dark')
         self.init_wfWidget()
 
         # init main widgets for main tabs
@@ -668,36 +668,21 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
 
     def init_styles(self):
         self._styles = {}
-        styles = ['default', 'dark', 'custom']
+        styles = ['default', 'dark']
         for style in styles:
             self._styles[style] = {}
 
-        self._styles['default']['stylesheet'] = ("QMainWindow {background-color: rgba(200, 200, 200, 255)}")
-            # ;"
-            #                                      "alternate-background-color: rgba(255, 0, 255, 255);"
-            #                                      "color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 255);"
-            #                                      "gridline-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 255);"
-            #                                      "selection-background-color: rgba(50, 50, 150, 255)};"
-            #                                      "QMainWindow {background-color: red}")
         self._styles['default']['background'] = 'w'
         self._styles['default']['foreground'] = 'k'
+        self._styles['default']['stylesheet'] = self.styleSheet()
 
-        self._styles['dark']['stylesheet'] = ("QWidget {background-color: rgba(50, 50, 60, 255);"
-                                              "alternate-background-color: rgba(100, 100, 150, 255);"
-                                              "border-color: rgba(200, 200, 200, 255);"
-                                              "color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);"
-                                              "gridline-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);"
-                                              "selection-background-color: rgba(50, 50, 150, 255)}")
         self._styles['dark']['background'] = QtGui.QColor(50, 50, 65, 255)
         self._styles['dark']['foreground'] = 'w'
-
-        infile = open('./pylot/core/util/stylesheet.qss', 'r')
+        # TODO: improve this
+        infile = open('./styles/dark.qss', 'r')
         stylesheet = infile.read()
         infile.close()
-        self._styles['custom']['stylesheet'] = stylesheet
-        self._styles['custom']['background'] = QtGui.QColor(50, 50, 65, 255)
-        self._styles['custom']['foreground'] = 'w'
-
+        self._styles['dark']['stylesheet'] = stylesheet
 
     def set_style(self, stylename):
         if not stylename in self._styles:
@@ -708,6 +693,15 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
         style = self._styles[stylename]
         self.setStyleSheet(style['stylesheet'])
 
+        bg_colors = [60, 60, 70]
+        bg_colors = [color/255. for color in bg_colors]
+
+        cycler = matplotlib.cycler(color='wbgrcmy')
+        matplotlib.rcParams['axes.prop_cycle'] = cycler
+        matplotlib.rcParams['axes.facecolor'] = '({}, {}, {})'.format(*bg_colors)
+        matplotlib.rcParams['figure.facecolor'] = '({}, {}, {})'.format(*bg_colors)
+
+
         if self.pg:
             pg.setConfigOption('background', style['background'])
             pg.setConfigOption('foreground', style['foreground'])
diff --git a/pylot/core/util/widgets.py b/pylot/core/util/widgets.py
index a733a98c..222e1f5a 100644
--- a/pylot/core/util/widgets.py
+++ b/pylot/core/util/widgets.py
@@ -926,7 +926,7 @@ class PylotCanvas(FigureCanvas):
                     trace.normalize(np.max(np.abs(trace.data)) * 2)
                 times = [time for index, time in enumerate(time_ax) if not index % nth_sample]
                 data = [datum + n for index, datum in enumerate(trace.data) if not index % nth_sample]
-                ax.plot(times, data, 'k', linewidth=0.7)
+                ax.plot(times, data, linewidth=0.7)
                 if noiselevel is not None:
                     for level in noiselevel:
                         ax.plot([time_ax[0], time_ax[-1]],
diff --git a/styles/dark.qss b/styles/dark.qss
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..dd9c0086
--- /dev/null
+++ b/styles/dark.qss
@@ -0,0 +1,188 @@
+QMainWindow{
+background-color: qlineargradient(spread:pad, x1:0, y1:0, x2:0, y2:1, stop:0 rgba(60, 60, 70, 255), stop:1 rgba(70, 70, 80, 255));
+color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+}
+
+QWidget{
+background-color: qlineargradient(spread:pad, x1:0, y1:0, x2:0, y2:1, stop:0 rgba(70, 70, 80, 255), stop:1 rgba(60, 60, 70, 255));
+color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+}
+
+QComboBox{
+background-color: rgba(80, 80, 90, 255);
+color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+}
+
+QComboBox *{
+background-color: rgba(80, 80, 90, 255);
+color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+}
+
+QMenuBar{
+background-color: rgba(60, 60, 70, 255);
+padding:1px;
+}
+
+QMenuBar::item{
+background-color: rgba(60, 60, 70, 255);
+color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+padding:3px;
+}
+
+QMenu{
+background-color: rgba(60, 60, 70, 255);
+color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+padding:0;
+}
+
+QMenu::item:selected{
+color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+background-color: rgba(200, 210, 230, 255);
+}
+
+QToolBar{
+border-style:solid;
+border-color:rgba(70, 70, 80, 255);
+border-width:1px;
+}
+
+QFileDialog QLabel{
+color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 255);
+}
+
+QFileDialog QPushButton{
+background-color: rgba(210, 210, 210, 255);
+color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 255);
+}
+
+QMessageBox{
+background-color: rgba(60, 60, 70, 255);
+color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+}
+
+QTableWidget{
+background-color: rgba(70, 70, 80, 255);
+color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+border-color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+selection-background-color: rgba(200, 210, 230, 255);
+}
+
+QHeaderView::section{
+background-color:qlineargradient(spread:pad, x1:0, y1:0, x2:1, y2:0, stop:0 rgba(60, 60, 70, 255), stop:1 rgba(70, 70, 80, 255));
+border:none;
+border-top-style:solid;
+border-width:1px;
+border-top-color:qlineargradient(spread:pad, x1:0, y1:0, x2:1, y2:0, stop:0 rgba(60, 60, 70, 255), stop:1 rgba(70, 70, 80, 255));
+color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+padding:5px;
+}
+
+QHeaderView{
+background-color:qlineargradient(spread:pad, x1:0, y1:0, x2:1, y2:0, stop:0 rgba(60, 60, 70, 255), stop:1 rgba(70, 70, 80, 255));
+
+border:none;
+border-top-style:solid;
+border-width:1px;
+border-top-color:rgba(70, 70, 80, 255);
+color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+}
+
+QListWidget{
+background-color:rgba(200, 200, 200, 255);
+color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+}
+
+QStatusBar{
+background-color:rgba(60, 60, 70, 255);
+color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+}
+
+QPushButton{
+background-color:rgba(70, 70, 80, 255);
+color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+}
+
+QPushButton:pressed{
+background-color: rgba(70, 70, 80, 255);
+}
+
+QTabBar{
+background-color:transparent
+}
+
+QTabBar::tab{
+background-color:rgba(60, 60, 70, 255);
+color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+border-style:solid;
+border-color:rgba(80, 80, 90, 255);
+border-bottom-color: transparent;
+border-width:1px;
+padding:5px;
+}
+
+QTabBar::tab:selected{
+background-color:rgba(80, 80, 90, 255);
+color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+border-style:solid;
+border-color:rgba(80, 80, 90, 255);
+border-bottom-color: transparent;
+border-width:1px;
+padding:5px;
+}
+
+QTabWidget{
+background-color:transparent;
+}
+
+QTabWidget::pane{
+background-color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+border-style:solid;
+border-color:rgba(80, 80, 90, 255);
+border-width:1px;
+}
+
+QTabWidget::tab{
+background-color:rgba(60, 60, 70, 255);
+}
+
+QTabWidget > QWidget{
+background-color: rgba(60, 60, 70, 255);
+color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+}
+
+QScrollArea{
+background: transparent;
+}
+
+QScrollArea>QWidget>QWidget{
+background: transparent;
+}
+
+QLabel{
+color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+background-color: transparent;
+}
+
+QLineEdit{
+border-radius:0;
+}
+
+QListWidget{
+background-color:rgba(60, 60, 70, 255)
+}
+
+QProgressBar{
+border-radius:0;
+text-align:center;
+color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 255);
+background-color:rgba(60,60,80,255);
+border: 2px solid #e3a21a;
+border-radius:7px;
+	font: 75 12pt "Open Sans";
+
+}
+
+QProgressBar::chunk{
+background-color:rgba(60, 60, 70, 255);
+width:10px;
+}
\ No newline at end of file