diff --git a/src/app/layout/components/chat-panel/chat-panel.component.html b/src/app/layout/components/chat-panel/chat-panel.component.html
index fae3c12b..1da2ea29 100644
--- a/src/app/layout/components/chat-panel/chat-panel.component.html
+++ b/src/app/layout/components/chat-panel/chat-panel.component.html
@@ -79,6 +79,17 @@
 
             </div>
 
+            <ng-container *ngIf="chat.dialog.length === 0">
+
+                <div class="no-messages-icon">
+                    <mat-icon class="s-128">chat</mat-icon>
+                </div>
+
+                <div class="no-messages secondary-text">
+                    Start a conversation by typing your message below.
+                </div>
+            </ng-container>
+
         </div>
 
         <div class="reply-form" fxFlex="0 0 auto" fxLayout="row" fxLayoutAlign="center center">
@@ -86,17 +97,17 @@
             <form #replyForm="ngForm"
                   (ngSubmit)="reply($event)"
                   (keydown.enter)="reply($event)"
-                  fxFlex class="reply-form"
+                  fxFlex
                   fxLayout="row"
                   fxLayoutAlign="start center">
 
-                <mat-form-field fxFlex floatLabel="never">
-                    <textarea matInput #replyInput placeholder="Type and hit enter to send message"
-                              ngModel name="message"></textarea>
+                <mat-form-field class="message-text" fxFlex floatLabel="never" appearance="standard">
+                    <textarea matInput #replyInput ngModel name="message" placeholder="Type your message"
+                              [rows]="1" [matTextareaAutosize]="true"></textarea>
                 </mat-form-field>
 
-                <button mat-mini-fab type="submit" aria-label="Send message">
-                    <mat-icon>send</mat-icon>
+                <button class="send-message-button" mat-icon-button type="submit" aria-label="Send message">
+                    <mat-icon class="secondary-text">send</mat-icon>
                 </button>
 
             </form>
diff --git a/src/app/layout/components/chat-panel/chat-panel.component.scss b/src/app/layout/components/chat-panel/chat-panel.component.scss
index ab6237f2..fbd52c1f 100644
--- a/src/app/layout/components/chat-panel/chat-panel.component.scss
+++ b/src/app/layout/components/chat-panel/chat-panel.component.scss
@@ -104,6 +104,7 @@ chat-panel {
         background-color: mat-color(mat-palette($mat-grey, 300));
 
         .messages {
+            position: relative;
             overflow: auto;
             padding: 16px 0 40px 40px;
 
@@ -244,11 +245,70 @@ chat-panel {
                     }
                 }
             }
+
+            .no-messages-icon {
+                position: absolute;
+                top: 50%;
+                right: 0;
+                left: 0;
+                padding: 0 24px;
+                margin-top: -64px;
+                text-align: center;
+
+                mat-icon {
+                    color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.06);
+                }
+            }
+
+            .no-messages {
+                position: absolute;
+                right: 0;
+                bottom: 0;
+                left: 0;
+                padding: 0 16px 24px 16px;
+                text-align: center;
+            }
         }
 
         .reply-form {
             position: relative;
-            @include mat-elevation(8);
+
+            .message-text {
+                padding: 16px 8px;
+
+                .mat-form-field-wrapper {
+                    padding: 0;
+
+                    .mat-form-field-flex {
+                        padding: 0;
+
+                        .mat-form-field-infix {
+                            padding: 0;
+                            border: none;
+                            background: white;
+                            border-radius: 20px;
+                            @include mat-elevation(2);
+
+                            textarea {
+                                overflow: hidden;
+                                margin: 16px 48px 16px 16px;
+                                width: calc(100% - 64px);
+                                padding: 0;
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                    .mat-form-field-underline {
+                        display: none !important;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            .send-message-button {
+                position: absolute;
+                right: 16px;
+                bottom: 21px;
+            }
         }
     }
 }