diff --git a/res/css/views/context_menus/_StatusMessageContextMenu.scss b/res/css/views/context_menus/_StatusMessageContextMenu.scss
index 873ad99495..8b25f3a122 100644
--- a/res/css/views/context_menus/_StatusMessageContextMenu.scss
+++ b/res/css/views/context_menus/_StatusMessageContextMenu.scss
@@ -14,42 +14,43 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-.mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_message {
-    display: inline-block;
-    border-radius: 3px 0 0 3px;
+.mx_StatusMessageContextMenu {
+    padding: 10px;
+}
+
+.mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_form {
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+}
+
+input.mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_message {
+    border-radius: 4px;
     border: 1px solid $input-border-color;
-    font-size: 13px;
-    padding: 7px 7px 7px 9px;
-    width: 135px;
-    background-color: $primary-bg-color !important;
+    padding: 6.5px 11px;
+    background-color: $primary-bg-color;
+    font-weight: normal;
+    margin: 0 0 10px;
 }
 
-.mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_submit {
-    display: inline-block;
+.mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_message::placeholder {
+    color: $memberstatus-placeholder-color;
 }
 
-.mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_submitFaded {
-    opacity: 0.5;
+.mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_submit,
+.mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_clear {
+    @mixin mx_DialogButton;
+    align-self: start;
+    font-size: 12px;
+    padding: 6px 1em;
+    border: 1px solid transparent;
 }
 
-.mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_submit img {
-    vertical-align: middle;
-    margin-left: 8px;
-}
-
-.mx_StatusMessageContextMenu hr {
-    border: 0.5px solid $menu-border-color;
-}
-
-.mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_clearIcon {
-    margin: 5px 15px 5px 5px;
-    vertical-align: middle;
+.mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_submit[disabled] {
+    opacity: 0.49;
 }
 
 .mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_clear {
-    padding: 2px;
-}
-
-.mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_hasStatus .mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_clear {
     color: $warning-color;
+    background-color: transparent;
+    border: 1px solid $warning-color;
 }
diff --git a/res/img/icons-checkmark.svg b/res/img/icons-checkmark.svg
deleted file mode 100644
index 3c5392003d..0000000000
--- a/res/img/icons-checkmark.svg
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,17 +0,0 @@
-<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
-<svg width="20px" height="20px" viewBox="0 0 20 20" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
-    <!-- Generator: Sketch 52.5 (67469) - http://www.bohemiancoding.com/sketch -->
-    <title>Tick</title>
-    <desc>Created with Sketch.</desc>
-    <g id="Page-1" stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd">
-        <g id="Custom-Status-Copy" transform="translate(-529.000000, -917.000000)" fill-rule="nonzero">
-            <g id="Tick" transform="translate(530.000000, 918.000000)">
-                <circle id="Oval" stroke="#6AAC8C" fill="#75CFA6" cx="9" cy="9" r="9"></circle>
-                <g id="Glyph" transform="translate(8.949747, 7.949747) rotate(-45.000000) translate(-8.949747, -7.949747) translate(4.449747, 5.449747)" fill="#FFFFFF">
-                    <rect id="Rectangle" x="0" y="0" width="2" height="5"></rect>
-                    <rect id="Rectangle" x="0" y="3" width="9" height="2"></rect>
-                </g>
-            </g>
-        </g>
-    </g>
-</svg>
diff --git a/res/themes/dharma/css/_dharma.scss b/res/themes/dharma/css/_dharma.scss
index 732cabf494..73dc0a71e4 100644
--- a/res/themes/dharma/css/_dharma.scss
+++ b/res/themes/dharma/css/_dharma.scss
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ $event-selected-color: #f7f7f7;
 $primary-hairline-color: #e5e5e5;
 
 // used for the border of input text fields
-$input-border-color: #f0f0f0;
+$input-border-color: #e7e7e7;
 $input-darker-bg-color: rgba(193, 201, 214, 0.29);
 $input-darker-fg-color: #9fa9ba;
 $input-lighter-bg-color: #f2f5f8;
@@ -192,6 +192,8 @@ $progressbar-color: #000;
 
 $room-warning-bg-color: #fff8e3;
 
+$memberstatus-placeholder-color: $roomtile-name-color;
+
 /*** form elements ***/
 
 // .mx_textinput is a container for a text input
diff --git a/res/themes/light/css/_base.scss b/res/themes/light/css/_base.scss
index 10a8fcd1e5..cf539bd1f2 100644
--- a/res/themes/light/css/_base.scss
+++ b/res/themes/light/css/_base.scss
@@ -188,6 +188,8 @@ $progressbar-color: #000;
 
 $room-warning-bg-color: #fff8e3;
 
+$memberstatus-placeholder-color: $roomtile-name-color;
+
 // ***** Mixins! *****
 
 @define-mixin mx_DialogButton {
diff --git a/src/components/views/context_menus/StatusMessageContextMenu.js b/src/components/views/context_menus/StatusMessageContextMenu.js
index d062fc2a3e..9916f5d347 100644
--- a/src/components/views/context_menus/StatusMessageContextMenu.js
+++ b/src/components/views/context_menus/StatusMessageContextMenu.js
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
 import { _t } from '../../../languageHandler';
 import MatrixClientPeg from '../../../MatrixClientPeg';
 import AccessibleButton from '../elements/AccessibleButton';
-import classNames from 'classnames';
 
 export default class StatusMessageContextMenu extends React.Component {
     static propTypes = {
@@ -31,13 +30,42 @@ export default class StatusMessageContextMenu extends React.Component {
         super(props, context);
 
         this.state = {
-            message: props.user ? props.user._unstable_statusMessage : "",
+            message: this.comittedStatusMessage,
         };
     }
 
+    componentWillMount() {
+        const { user } = this.props;
+        if (!user) {
+            return;
+        }
+        user.on("User._unstable_statusMessage", this._onStatusMessageCommitted);
+    }
+
+    componentWillUmount() {
+        const { user } = this.props;
+        if (!user) {
+            return;
+        }
+        user.removeListener(
+            "User._unstable_statusMessage",
+            this._onStatusMessageCommitted,
+        );
+    }
+
+    get comittedStatusMessage() {
+        return this.props.user ? this.props.user._unstable_statusMessage : "";
+    }
+
+    _onStatusMessageCommitted = () => {
+        // The `User` object has observed a status message change.
+        this.setState({
+            message: this.comittedStatusMessage,
+        });
+    };
+
     _onClearClick = async (e) => {
         await MatrixClientPeg.get()._unstable_setStatusMessage("");
-        this.setState({message: ""});
     };
 
     _onSubmit = (e) => {
@@ -46,41 +74,49 @@ export default class StatusMessageContextMenu extends React.Component {
     };
 
     _onStatusChange = (e) => {
-        this.setState({message: e.target.value});
+        // The input field's value was changed.
+        this.setState({
+            message: e.target.value,
+        });
     };
 
     render() {
-        const formSubmitClasses = classNames({
-            "mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_submit": true,
-            "mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_submitFaded": !this.state.message, // no message == faded
-        });
+        let actionButton;
+        if (this.comittedStatusMessage) {
+            if (this.state.message === this.comittedStatusMessage) {
+                actionButton = <AccessibleButton className="mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_clear"
+                    onClick={this._onClearClick}
+                >
+                    <span>{_t("Clear status")}</span>
+                </AccessibleButton>;
+            } else {
+                actionButton = <AccessibleButton className="mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_submit"
+                    onClick={this._onSubmit}
+                >
+                    <span>{_t("Update status")}</span>
+                </AccessibleButton>;
+            }
+        } else {
+            actionButton = <AccessibleButton className="mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_submit"
+                disabled={!this.state.message} onClick={this._onSubmit}
+            >
+                <span>{_t("Set status")}</span>
+            </AccessibleButton>;
+        }
 
-        const form = <form className="mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_form" onSubmit={this._onSubmit} autoComplete="off">
-            <input type="text" key="message" placeholder={_t("Set a new status...")} autoFocus={true}
-                   className="mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_message"
-                   value={this.state.message} onChange={this._onStatusChange} maxLength="60" />
-            <AccessibleButton onClick={this._onSubmit} element="div" className={formSubmitClasses}>
-                <img src="img/icons-checkmark.svg" width="22" height="22" />
-            </AccessibleButton>
+        const form = <form className="mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_form"
+            autoComplete="off" onSubmit={this._onSubmit}
+        >
+            <input type="text" className="mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_message"
+                key="message" placeholder={_t("Set a new status...")}
+                autoFocus={true} maxLength="60" value={this.state.message}
+                onChange={this._onStatusChange}
+            />
+            {actionButton}
         </form>;
 
-        const clearIcon = this.state.message ? "img/cancel-red.svg" : "img/cancel.svg";
-        const clearButton = <AccessibleButton onClick={this._onClearClick} disabled={!this.state.message}
-                                              className="mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_clear">
-            <img src={clearIcon} alt={_t('Clear status')} width="12" height="12"
-                 className="mx_filterFlipColor mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_clearIcon" />
-            <span>{_t("Clear status")}</span>
-        </AccessibleButton>;
-
-        const menuClasses = classNames({
-            "mx_StatusMessageContextMenu": true,
-            "mx_StatusMessageContextMenu_hasStatus": this.state.message,
-        });
-
-        return <div className={menuClasses}>
+        return <div className="mx_StatusMessageContextMenu">
             { form }
-            <hr />
-            { clearButton }
         </div>;
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
index a7b75c136b..ef0ff1ebf7 100644
--- a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
+++ b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
@@ -1087,8 +1087,10 @@
     "Forget": "Forget",
     "Low Priority": "Low Priority",
     "Direct Chat": "Direct Chat",
-    "Set a new status...": "Set a new status...",
     "Clear status": "Clear status",
+    "Update status": "Update status",
+    "Set status": "Set status",
+    "Set a new status...": "Set a new status...",
     "View as Grid": "View as Grid",
     "View Community": "View Community",
     "Sorry, your browser is <b>not</b> able to run Riot.": "Sorry, your browser is <b>not</b> able to run Riot.",