Dice rolls, all the way down. You’ll eventually try more of those other packages “you don’t need” in your quest to make your Linux system look and feel how you want, but first you’ve gotta start with something to get a feel for: “I like this bit, but not this other bit, can I change that?” Generally, yes.
If you’re demanding to be told the right way, there’s TempleOS for that, or Mac, or Windows, or hell, how about RedStarOS?