diff --git a/src/app/config.coffee b/src/app/config.coffee
index 854cc40a5..cd307becd 100644
--- a/src/app/config.coffee
+++ b/src/app/config.coffee
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ EventEmitter = require 'event-emitter'
 {$$} = require 'space-pen'
 jQuery = require 'jquery'
 Specificity = require 'specificity'
+Theme = require 'theme'
 
 configDirPath = fs.absolute("~/.atom")
 configJsonPath = fs.join(configDirPath, "config.json")
@@ -31,6 +32,9 @@ class Config
     @requireUserInitScript()
     atom.loadPackages()
 
+    themeName = config.get("core.theme") ? 'IR_Black'
+    Theme.load(themeName)
+
   loadUserConfig: ->
     if fs.exists(configJsonPath)
       userConfig = JSON.parse(fs.read(configJsonPath))
diff --git a/src/app/root-view.coffee b/src/app/root-view.coffee
index 6967cd575..0448e3b9e 100644
--- a/src/app/root-view.coffee
+++ b/src/app/root-view.coffee
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ Project = require 'project'
 Pane = require 'pane'
 PaneColumn = require 'pane-column'
 PaneRow = require 'pane-row'
-Theme = require 'theme'
 
 module.exports =
 class RootView extends View
@@ -41,8 +40,6 @@ class RootView extends View
 
     config.load()
 
-    Theme.load(config.get("core.theme") ? 'IR_Black')
-
     @handleEvents()
 
     if pathToOpen