diff --git a/packages/insomnia-app/app/ui/css/constants/colors.less b/packages/insomnia-app/app/ui/css/constants/colors.less
index 97eec63b76..aead0d1b4d 100644
--- a/packages/insomnia-app/app/ui/css/constants/colors.less
+++ b/packages/insomnia-app/app/ui/css/constants/colors.less
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 *[theme],
 *[subtheme] {
+  // Defaults just so we have something to start with. This
+  // ensures that the UI is still usable if we making a change
+  // that breaks the theme system during development.
+  --color-bg: #fff;
+  --color-font: #000;
+
   --opacity-subtle: 0.7;
   --opacity-super-subtle: 0.5;