diff --git a/packages/paste-website/package.json b/packages/paste-website/package.json
index 8647bcfb57..f1e1e1017e 100644
--- a/packages/paste-website/package.json
+++ b/packages/paste-website/package.json
@@ -175,6 +175,7 @@
     "micromark-extension-mdxjs": "^2.0.0",
     "minimist": "^1.2.8",
     "next": "^14.0.0",
+    "nookies": "^2.5.2",
     "openai": "^4.79.1",
     "pretty-format": "^28.1.0",
     "prism-react-renderer": "^1.3.5",
diff --git a/packages/paste-website/src/components/color-swatch/ColorGradient.tsx b/packages/paste-website/src/components/color-swatch/ColorGradient.tsx
index b4ebcfc5a4..fef89a6e2f 100644
--- a/packages/paste-website/src/components/color-swatch/ColorGradient.tsx
+++ b/packages/paste-website/src/components/color-swatch/ColorGradient.tsx
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ export const ColorGradient: React.FC<
 > = ({ aliasPrefix, makeTall = "false", index = 0 }) => {
   const [show, setShow] = React.useState(false);
   const { theme } = useDarkModeContext();
-  const aliasValues = getAliasValuesFromPrefix(aliasPrefix, theme);
+  const aliasValues = getAliasValuesFromPrefix(aliasPrefix, theme || "twilio");
   const count = aliasValues.length - 1;
 
   function handleVisibilityChange(isVisible: boolean): void {
diff --git a/packages/paste-website/src/components/shortcodes/live-preview/index.tsx b/packages/paste-website/src/components/shortcodes/live-preview/index.tsx
index 9b6f284ab7..1e24d59212 100644
--- a/packages/paste-website/src/components/shortcodes/live-preview/index.tsx
+++ b/packages/paste-website/src/components/shortcodes/live-preview/index.tsx
@@ -49,6 +49,8 @@ const LivePreview: React.FC<React.PropsWithChildren<LivePreviewProps>> = ({
 
   const overflow = showOverflow ? "visible" : "auto";
 
+  if (!previewTheme) return null;
+
   return (
     <Box marginBottom="space110" data-cy="live-preview">
       <LiveProvider
diff --git a/packages/paste-website/src/context/PreviewThemeContext.tsx b/packages/paste-website/src/context/PreviewThemeContext.tsx
index a1f0b78393..caceef5003 100644
--- a/packages/paste-website/src/context/PreviewThemeContext.tsx
+++ b/packages/paste-website/src/context/PreviewThemeContext.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import * as React from "react";
 
 type PreviewThemeContextValue = {
-  theme: string;
+  theme?: string;
   selectTheme: (theme: string) => void;
 };
 
diff --git a/packages/paste-website/src/hooks/useDarkMode.tsx b/packages/paste-website/src/hooks/useDarkMode.tsx
index ef8b735f2f..9392e428ef 100644
--- a/packages/paste-website/src/hooks/useDarkMode.tsx
+++ b/packages/paste-website/src/hooks/useDarkMode.tsx
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
 import type { ValueOf } from "@twilio-paste/types";
+import { parseCookies, setCookie } from "nookies";
 import * as React from "react";
 
-import { SimpleStorage } from "../utils/SimpleStorage";
-
-export type UseDarkModeReturn = [ValidThemeName, () => void, boolean];
+export type UseDarkModeReturn = [ValidThemeName | undefined, () => void, boolean];
 
 const ValidThemes = {
   DEFAULT: "twilio",
@@ -13,15 +12,16 @@ const ValidThemes = {
 type ValidThemeName = ValueOf<typeof ValidThemes>;
 
 const isValidTheme = (themeName: ValidThemeName): boolean => {
-  return themeName === ValidThemes.DEFAULT || themeName === ValidThemes.DARK;
+  return Object.values(ValidThemes).includes(themeName);
 };
 
 export const useDarkMode = (): UseDarkModeReturn => {
-  const [theme, setTheme] = React.useState<ValidThemeName>(ValidThemes.DEFAULT);
+  const [theme, setTheme] = React.useState<ValidThemeName>();
   const [componentMounted, setComponentMounted] = React.useState(false);
 
   const setMode = (mode: ValidThemeName): void => {
-    SimpleStorage.set("theme", mode);
+    setCookie(null, "paste-docs-theme", mode, { path: "/" });
+    document.body.dataset.theme = mode;
     setTheme(mode);
   };
 
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ export const useDarkMode = (): UseDarkModeReturn => {
   };
 
   React.useEffect(() => {
-    const localTheme = SimpleStorage.get("theme") as ValidThemeName;
+    const localTheme = parseCookies()["paste-docs-theme"] as ValidThemeName;
 
     if (window.matchMedia && window.matchMedia("(prefers-color-scheme: dark)").matches && !localTheme) {
       setMode(ValidThemes.DARK);
diff --git a/packages/paste-website/src/pages/_app.tsx b/packages/paste-website/src/pages/_app.tsx
index 3a8dc61473..c6f2ab9663 100644
--- a/packages/paste-website/src/pages/_app.tsx
+++ b/packages/paste-website/src/pages/_app.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 import { datadogRum } from "@datadog/browser-rum";
+import "@twilio-paste/design-tokens/dist/themes/twilio-dark/tokens.data-theme.css";
+import "@twilio-paste/design-tokens/dist/themes/twilio/tokens.custom-properties.css";
 import { Theme } from "@twilio-paste/theme";
 import type { AppProps } from "next/app";
 import Head from "next/head";
@@ -22,7 +24,7 @@ const App = ({ Component, pageProps }: AppProps): React.ReactElement => {
   const router = useRouter();
   const localStorageKey = "cookie-consent-accepted";
   const [theme, toggleMode, componentMounted] = useDarkMode();
-  const [previewTheme, setPreviewTheme] = React.useState("twilio");
+  const [previewTheme, setPreviewTheme] = React.useState<string | undefined>();
   const [cookiesAccepted, setCookiesAccepted] = React.useState<null | string>();
 
   React.useEffect(() => {
@@ -111,7 +113,7 @@ const App = ({ Component, pageProps }: AppProps): React.ReactElement => {
         </>
       )}
       <Theme.Provider
-        theme={theme}
+        useCSSVariables={true}
         customBreakpoints={SITE_BREAKPOINTS}
         disableAnimations={inCypress()}
         cacheProviderProps={{ key: "next" }}
diff --git a/packages/paste-website/src/pages/_document.tsx b/packages/paste-website/src/pages/_document.tsx
index 7a30bea5cf..ce336473a7 100644
--- a/packages/paste-website/src/pages/_document.tsx
+++ b/packages/paste-website/src/pages/_document.tsx
@@ -33,6 +33,22 @@ class _Document extends Document {
           <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="512x512" href="/icons/icon-512x512.png" />
         </Head>
         <body>
+          <script
+            type="text/javascript"
+            // eslint-disable-next-line react/no-danger
+            dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{
+              __html: `
+                let parts = typeof document !== "undefined" && document?.cookie.split("paste-docs-theme=");
+                let cookie = parts.length == 2 ?parts?.pop().split(";").shift() : null;
+                if(cookie){
+                  document.body.dataset.theme = cookie;
+                }
+                else if(window !== "undefined" && window.matchMedia && window.matchMedia("(prefers-color-scheme: dark)").matches){
+                  document.body.dataset.theme = "twilio-dark";
+                }
+            `,
+            }}
+          />
           <noscript key="noscript">This app works best with JavaScript enabled.</noscript>
           <Main />
           <NextScript />
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 7f3a4e1339..ce25c8a984 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -16312,6 +16312,7 @@ __metadata:
     micromark-extension-mdxjs: ^2.0.0
     minimist: ^1.2.8
     next: ^14.0.0
+    nookies: ^2.5.2
     openai: ^4.79.1
     pretty-format: ^28.1.0
     prism-react-renderer: ^1.3.5
@@ -22379,7 +22380,7 @@ __metadata:
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
-"cookie@npm:~0.4.1":
+"cookie@npm:^0.4.1, cookie@npm:~0.4.1":
   version: 0.4.2
   resolution: "cookie@npm:0.4.2"
   checksum: a00833c998bedf8e787b4c342defe5fa419abd96b32f4464f718b91022586b8f1bafbddd499288e75c037642493c83083da426c6a9080d309e3bd90fd11baa9b
@@ -35778,6 +35779,16 @@ fsevents@^1.2.7:
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
+"nookies@npm:^2.5.2":
+  version: 2.5.2
+  resolution: "nookies@npm:2.5.2"
+  dependencies:
+    cookie: ^0.4.1
+    set-cookie-parser: ^2.4.6
+  checksum: 4cc6fd8d0ab9fce840ccdb161eefe9dee581f441429fc729f279924491ebd1c12c220f889b6e315d66f8ea00bef944966969c966c957a6b9918ced7d7f9cc8a8
+  languageName: node
+  linkType: hard
+
 "nopt@npm:^4.0.3":
   version: 4.0.3
   resolution: "nopt@npm:4.0.3"
@@ -41682,6 +41693,13 @@ resolve@^2.0.0-next.3:
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
+"set-cookie-parser@npm:^2.4.6":
+  version: 2.7.1
+  resolution: "set-cookie-parser@npm:2.7.1"
+  checksum: 2ef8b351094712f8f7df6d63ed4b10350b24a5b515772690e7dec227df85fcef5bc451c7765f484fd9f36694ece5438d1456407d017f237d0d3351d7dbbd3587
+  languageName: node
+  linkType: hard
+
 "set-function-length@npm:^1.1.1":
   version: 1.1.1
   resolution: "set-function-length@npm:1.1.1"