How to Build a Stunning Bento Grid in React: Complete Guide

If you've visited Apple's website or any modern SaaS landing page lately, you've probably noticed a design pattern taking over: the bento grid. Named after Japanese bento lunch boxes with their asymmetric compartments, bento grid layouts have become the go-to choice for showcasing features in a visually striking way.

In this comprehensive guide, you'll learn how to build a bento grid in React from scratch using Tailwind CSS. We'll cover everything from basic setup to advanced animations, plus show you how to use production-ready bento grid components from Monet to save hours of development time.

What is a Bento Grid Layout?

A bento grid is a grid-based layout where items have different sizes and proportions, creating an asymmetric but balanced design. Unlike traditional uniform grids where every item has the same dimensions, bento grids use varying column spans and row heights to create visual hierarchy and interest.

Think of it like a bento box: some compartments are large for the main dish, others are smaller for sides, but everything fits together perfectly in one cohesive container.

Key Characteristics of Bento Grids:

Asymmetric layout with items of varying sizes
Visual hierarchy that guides user attention
Grid-based structure using CSS Grid or Flexbox
Responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes
Feature showcase highlighting different aspects of a product

The bento grid trend didn't appear overnight. It's been steadily gaining popularity thanks to several influential factors:

Apple's Design Influence

Apple popularized the bento grid layout in their product showcases, particularly on the iPhone and Apple Watch landing pages. Their implementation demonstrated how asymmetric grids could create sophisticated, magazine-like layouts that feel premium and modern.

SaaS Product Adoption

SaaS companies quickly adopted bento grids because they solve a critical problem: how to showcase multiple features without overwhelming users. Traditional feature sections with uniform cards feel repetitive. Bento grids let you:

Prioritize key features with larger grid items
Create visual flow that guides users through your product story
Pack more information without feeling cluttered
Stand out from competitors using traditional layouts

The Rise of Design Systems

Modern design systems like Tailwind CSS make it easier than ever to build complex grid layouts. With utility classes and responsive modifiers, creating a bento grid component that works across all screen sizes is now straightforward.

Developer-Friendly

Unlike some design trends that require heavy JavaScript or complex animations, bento grids are primarily CSS-based. This makes them performant, SEO-friendly, and easy to maintain—perfect for modern React applications.

Anatomy of a Great Bento Grid Component

Before we start coding, let's understand what makes a bento grid component effective:

1. Grid Structure

The foundation is CSS Grid with named grid areas or explicit column/row spans. A typical bento grid uses a 12-column or 6-column system for maximum flexibility.

2. Content Hierarchy

Not all features are equal. Your bento grid should have:

Hero items (2x2 or larger) for primary features
Standard items (1x1 or 1x2) for secondary features
Accent items (1x1) for supporting details

3. Visual Balance

Even though the layout is asymmetric, it should feel balanced. This means distributing visual weight across the grid—don't cluster all large items in one area.

4. Responsive Behavior

On mobile, bento grids typically collapse into a single column or simpler 2-column layout. The key is maintaining the hierarchy even when the grid structure changes.

5. Interactive Elements

Modern bento grids often include:

Hover effects that lift or highlight items
Subtle animations on scroll
Background gradients or images
Icons or illustrations that support the content

Building a Bento Grid with Tailwind CSS

Now let's build a complete bento grid component step by step. We'll create a feature grid for a fictional SaaS product.

Step 1: Set Up the Base Grid Container

First, create the main grid container using CSS Grid:

export function BentoGrid() {
  return (
    <section className="px-6 py-24">
      <div className="mx-auto max-w-7xl">
        <h2 className="mb-12 text-center text-4xl font-bold tracking-tight text-gray-900">
          Powerful Features for Modern Teams
        </h2>

        <div className="grid grid-cols-1 gap-4 md:grid-cols-6 lg:gap-6">
          {/* Grid items will go here */}
        </div>
      </div>
    </section>
  );
}

We're using a 6-column grid on medium screens and up, with a single column on mobile. The gap between items is 4 units (1rem) on mobile and 6 units on larger screens.

Here's a production-ready bento grid from Monet:

coderabbit-ai-feature-3 — A dark-themed bento grid showcasing AI features

Step 2: Create Individual Grid Items

Now let's create grid items with different sizes. We'll use Tailwind's col-span and row-span utilities:

export function BentoGrid() {
  return (
    <section className="px-6 py-24">
      <div className="mx-auto max-w-7xl">
        <h2 className="mb-12 text-center text-4xl font-bold tracking-tight text-gray-900">
          Powerful Features for Modern Teams
        </h2>

        <div className="grid grid-cols-1 gap-4 md:grid-cols-6 md:auto-rows-[200px] lg:gap-6">
          {/* Large feature - spans 4 columns and 2 rows */}
          <div className="group relative overflow-hidden rounded-2xl bg-gradient-to-br from-purple-500 to-pink-500 p-8 md:col-span-4 md:row-span-2">
            <h3 className="text-3xl font-bold text-white">
              Real-time Collaboration
            </h3>
            <p className="mt-4 text-lg text-purple-50">
              Work together seamlessly with your team. See changes instantly as they happen.
            </p>
          </div>

          {/* Medium feature - spans 2 columns and 2 rows */}
          <div className="group relative overflow-hidden rounded-2xl bg-gradient-to-br from-blue-500 to-cyan-500 p-8 md:col-span-2 md:row-span-2">
            <h3 className="text-2xl font-bold text-white">
              Advanced Analytics
            </h3>
            <p className="mt-4 text-blue-50">
              Track metrics that matter with powerful insights.
            </p>
          </div>

          {/* Small feature - spans 2 columns and 1 row */}
          <div className="group relative overflow-hidden rounded-2xl bg-gradient-to-br from-orange-500 to-red-500 p-8 md:col-span-2 md:row-span-1">
            <h3 className="text-xl font-bold text-white">
              Fast Performance
            </h3>
            <p className="mt-2 text-orange-50">
              Lightning fast load times
            </p>
          </div>

          {/* Another small feature */}
          <div className="group relative overflow-hidden rounded-2xl bg-gradient-to-br from-green-500 to-emerald-500 p-8 md:col-span-2 md:row-span-1">
            <h3 className="text-xl font-bold text-white">
              Secure by Default
            </h3>
            <p className="mt-2 text-green-50">
              Enterprise-grade security
            </p>
          </div>

          {/* Wide feature */}
          <div className="group relative overflow-hidden rounded-2xl bg-gradient-to-br from-indigo-500 to-purple-500 p-8 md:col-span-2 md:row-span-1">
            <h3 className="text-xl font-bold text-white">
              API Access
            </h3>
            <p className="mt-2 text-indigo-50">
              Full REST and GraphQL APIs
            </p>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
    </section>
  );
}

Step 3: Make It Responsive

The code above already includes responsive modifiers (md:col-span-4, etc.), but let's enhance the mobile experience:

<div className="grid grid-cols-1 gap-4 sm:grid-cols-2 md:grid-cols-6 md:auto-rows-[200px] lg:gap-6">
  {/* Large feature - full width on mobile, 2 cols on small, 4 cols on medium+ */}
  <div className="group relative overflow-hidden rounded-2xl bg-gradient-to-br from-purple-500 to-pink-500 p-8 sm:col-span-2 md:col-span-4 md:row-span-2">
    {/* Content */}
  </div>

  {/* Other items follow similar pattern */}
</div>

Step 4: Add a Reusable Component Structure

Let's refactor into a reusable component:

interface BentoItemProps {
  title: string;
  description: string;
  gradient: string;
  colSpan?: string;
  rowSpan?: string;
  icon?: React.ReactNode;
}

function BentoItem({
  title,
  description,
  gradient,
  colSpan = "md:col-span-2",
  rowSpan = "md:row-span-1",
  icon
}: BentoItemProps) {
  return (
    <div className={`group relative overflow-hidden rounded-2xl ${gradient} p-8 ${colSpan} ${rowSpan}`}>
      {icon && <div className="mb-4">{icon}</div>}
      <h3 className="text-2xl font-bold text-white">
        {title}
      </h3>
      <p className="mt-4 text-white/90">
        {description}
      </p>
    </div>
  );
}

export function BentoGrid() {
  const features = [
    {
      title: "Real-time Collaboration",
      description: "Work together seamlessly with your team. See changes instantly as they happen.",
      gradient: "bg-gradient-to-br from-purple-500 to-pink-500",
      colSpan: "sm:col-span-2 md:col-span-4",
      rowSpan: "md:row-span-2",
    },
    // Add more features...
  ];

  return (
    <section className="px-6 py-24">
      <div className="mx-auto max-w-7xl">
        <h2 className="mb-12 text-center text-4xl font-bold tracking-tight text-gray-900">
          Powerful Features for Modern Teams
        </h2>

        <div className="grid grid-cols-1 gap-4 sm:grid-cols-2 md:grid-cols-6 md:auto-rows-[200px] lg:gap-6">
          {features.map((feature, index) => (
            <BentoItem key={index} {...feature} />
          ))}
        </div>
      </div>
    </section>
  );
}

Adding Animations and Hover Effects

Static bento grids are nice, but adding subtle animations makes them exceptional. Let's add some polish:

Hover Effects

function BentoItem({ title, description, gradient, colSpan, rowSpan }: BentoItemProps) {
  return (
    <div className={`
      group relative overflow-hidden rounded-2xl ${gradient} p-8 ${colSpan} ${rowSpan}
      transition-all duration-300 hover:scale-[1.02] hover:shadow-2xl
      cursor-pointer
    `}>
      {/* Shimmer effect on hover */}
      <div className="absolute inset-0 bg-gradient-to-r from-transparent via-white/10 to-transparent
        -translate-x-full group-hover:translate-x-full transition-transform duration-1000" />

      <h3 className="relative text-2xl font-bold text-white transition-transform
        group-hover:-translate-y-1">
        {title}
      </h3>
      <p className="relative mt-4 text-white/90 transition-opacity group-hover:opacity-100 opacity-90">
        {description}
      </p>
    </div>
  );
}

Scroll Animations with Framer Motion

For more advanced animations, we can use Framer Motion:

import { motion } from "framer-motion";

function BentoItem({ title, description, gradient, colSpan, rowSpan, index }: BentoItemProps) {
  return (
    <motion.div
      className={`group relative overflow-hidden rounded-2xl ${gradient} p-8 ${colSpan} ${rowSpan}`}
      initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 20 }}
      whileInView={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
      transition={{ duration: 0.5, delay: index * 0.1 }}
      viewport={{ once: true }}
      whileHover={{ scale: 1.02 }}
    >
      {/* Content */}
    </motion.div>
  );
}

CSS-Only Animations

If you prefer to avoid JavaScript libraries, here's a CSS-only approach:

<div className={`
  group relative overflow-hidden rounded-2xl ${gradient} p-8 ${colSpan} ${rowSpan}
  animate-fade-in
  hover:shadow-2xl hover:-translate-y-1
  transition-all duration-300 ease-out
`}>
  {/* Add to your global CSS */}
  {/*
  @keyframes fade-in {
    from { opacity: 0; transform: translateY(20px); }
    to { opacity: 1; transform: translateY(0); }
  }
  .animate-fade-in {
    animation: fade-in 0.6s ease-out forwards;
  }
  */}
</div>

Ready-to-Use Bento Grid Components from Monet

Building a bento grid from scratch is great for learning, but when you're building production applications, using battle-tested components saves time and ensures quality.

Monet offers premium bento grid components that are:

Production-ready: Copy and paste directly into your React project
Fully responsive: Perfect layouts on all screen sizes
Customizable: Built with Tailwind CSS for easy styling
Type-safe: Written in TypeScript with full type definitions
Accessible: Follows WCAG guidelines

Here's an example of a feature grid component that uses bento-style layout:

cursor-com-feature-4 — A bento-style feature grid showcasing product capabilities

Using Monet Bento Grid Components

Browse the Monet component gallery and find bento grid variations:

// Example: Feature Bento Grid from Monet
import { FeatureBentoGrid } from "@/components/monet/bento-grids";

export default function FeaturesPage() {
  return (
    <main>
      <FeatureBentoGrid
        title="Everything You Need to Succeed"
        features={[
          {
            title: "Lightning Fast",
            description: "Optimized for performance",
            icon: "⚡",
            variant: "large",
          },
          // More features...
        ]}
      />
    </main>
  );
}

AI-Powered Component Discovery with MCP

Monet supports Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing AI assistants to find and recommend the perfect bento grid component for your needs.

For Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http monet-mcp https://www.monet.design/api/remote/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer your-api-key-here"

For IDEs (Cursor, etc.): Add to your MCP configuration file (~/.cursor/mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "monet-mcp": {
      "url": "https://www.monet.design/api/remote/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Get your API key from the Monet MCP page.

Then simply ask:

"I need a bento grid to showcase 6 product features with different importance levels. The main feature should be collaboration."

The AI will search Monet's component library and suggest the best matching bento grid component with ready-to-use code.

Advanced Bento Grid Patterns

Once you've mastered the basics, try these advanced patterns:

1. Mixed Content Types

Combine text, images, videos, and interactive elements:

<div className="md:col-span-3 md:row-span-2 overflow-hidden">
  <video
    autoPlay
    muted
    loop
    className="absolute inset-0 w-full h-full object-cover"
  >
    <source src="/demo.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
  </video>
  <div className="relative z-10 p-8">
    <h3 className="text-2xl font-bold text-white">See It In Action</h3>
  </div>
</div>

2. Interactive Stats

Add real-time data or counters:

function StatsBentoItem() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0);

  useEffect(() => {
    const interval = setInterval(() => {
      setCount(c => (c >= 10000 ? 10000 : c + 100));
    }, 50);
    return () => clearInterval(interval);
  }, []);

  return (
    <div className="bg-gradient-to-br from-green-500 to-emerald-500 p-8">
      <div className="text-5xl font-bold text-white">{count.toLocaleString()}+</div>
      <p className="mt-2 text-green-50">Happy Customers</p>
    </div>
  );
}

3. Nested Grids

Create grids within grid items for complex layouts:

<div className="md:col-span-3 md:row-span-2">
  <div className="grid grid-cols-2 gap-4 h-full">
    <div className="bg-purple-500 rounded-xl p-6">Sub-item 1</div>
    <div className="bg-pink-500 rounded-xl p-6">Sub-item 2</div>
    <div className="col-span-2 bg-indigo-500 rounded-xl p-6">Sub-item 3</div>
  </div>
</div>

Here's a feature grid with various content types:

features-x — A feature grid with verified badges and analytics

Bento Grid Best Practices

Do's:

Start with content: Design your grid around your actual features, not arbitrary layouts
Maintain hierarchy: Make important features visually dominant
Test responsiveness: Ensure the layout works well on all screen sizes
Use consistent spacing: Keep gaps and padding uniform for visual harmony
Limit color palette: Stick to 3-4 main colors to avoid visual chaos

Don'ts:

Don't overcrowd: White space is important—don't fill every pixel
Don't use too many sizes: Stick to 2-3 size variations for grid items
Don't ignore mobile: Bento grids must gracefully degrade on small screens
Don't sacrifice readability: Ensure text contrast meets accessibility standards
Don't animate everything: Subtle effects are more professional than flashy animations

Performance Considerations

Bento grids are CSS-heavy, which is generally good for performance. However, keep these tips in mind:

Optimize images: Use next/image or similar for automatic optimization
Lazy load videos: Don't autoplay videos that are off-screen
Minimize repaints: Avoid animating properties that trigger layout recalculation
Use transform over position: Animate with transform rather than top/left
Consider reduced motion: Respect prefers-reduced-motion for accessibility

<motion.div
  initial={{ opacity: 0 }}
  animate={{ opacity: 1 }}
  transition={{
    duration: 0.5,
    // Respect user preferences
    ...(window.matchMedia('(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)').matches && {
      duration: 0.01,
    })
  }}
>

Conclusion

Bento grids have earned their place as one of the most effective design patterns for modern web applications. They combine visual appeal with functional hierarchy, making them perfect for landing pages, product showcases, and feature sections.

In this guide, we've covered:

What bento grids are and why they're trending
The anatomy of effective bento grid layouts
Step-by-step implementation with Tailwind CSS
Advanced animations and interactive effects
Production-ready components from Monet
Best practices and performance tips

Whether you build your bento grid component from scratch or use ready-made components from Monet, the key is understanding the principles: asymmetric balance, clear hierarchy, and responsive design.

Ready to Get Started?

Browse the Monet component gallery to find production-ready bento grid components you can use in your next project. With Monet's copy-and-paste approach, you'll have a stunning bento grid layout running in minutes.

For AI-powered component discovery, set up Monet MCP and let Claude help you find the perfect components for your needs.

Happy building!