diff --git a/app/controllers/dashboard_controller.rb b/app/controllers/dashboard_controller.rb
index 7196b7fb5..8736ea949 100644
--- a/app/controllers/dashboard_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/dashboard_controller.rb
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ class DashboardController < ApplicationController
   include ApplicationHelper
 
   def index
-    @posts = Post.stream
+    @posts = StatusMessage.all
   end
 
 
diff --git a/app/controllers/status_messages_controller.rb b/app/controllers/status_messages_controller.rb
index 0d9e1b9d8..6c1faa3a1 100644
--- a/app/controllers/status_messages_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/status_messages_controller.rb
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ class StatusMessagesController < ApplicationController
   def index
     @status_messages = StatusMessage.criteria.all.order_by( [:created_at, :desc] )
     @friends = Friend.all
+    @posts = Post.stream
 
     respond_to do |format|
       format.html 
diff --git a/app/views/dashboard/index.html.haml b/app/views/dashboard/index.html.haml
index 1c60dc8e2..3b5dd2fdb 100644
--- a/app/views/dashboard/index.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/dashboard/index.html.haml
@@ -1,9 +1,32 @@
-- title "Dashboard"
+
+%div.big_text#info_top
+  welcome home, daniel.
+  %p.description
+    this is your diaspora dashboard, a place where you can catch a
+    = link_to "glimpse", "#"
+    of what all your friends are doing.
 
 
-%ul#stream
-  - for post in @posts
-    %li
-      = render "shared/post", :post =>post
-      /= post.inspect
+
+
+
+.span-6.last
+  %div{ :style => "padding: 1em" }
+    %div.big_text
+      requests
+
+    %div.big_text
+      %div.big_number= link_to "30", "#"
+      new requests
+    
+
+.prepend-2.span-16.last
+  %div{ :style => "padding: 1em" }
+    %div.big_text
+      your feed
+
+    %ul#stream
+      - for post in @posts
+        %li
+          = render "status_messages/pane", :post => post
 
diff --git a/app/views/layouts/application.html.haml b/app/views/layouts/application.html.haml
index 7f48e98b5..5bb8a970b 100644
--- a/app/views/layouts/application.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/layouts/application.html.haml
@@ -17,8 +17,9 @@
   %body
     #header
       .container
+        #huge_star *
         %a#diaspora_text{:href => root_path}
-          %img{:src => '/images/diaspora.png'}
+          /%img{:src => '/images/diaspora_white.png'}
 
         #session_action
           - if user_signed_in?
@@ -26,13 +27,13 @@
           - else
             = link_to "login", new_user_session_path
             
-        %ul.nav
-          %li= link_to "Home", root_path
-          %li= link_to "Users", users_path
-          %li= link_to "Status Messages", status_messages_path
-          %li= link_to "Friends", friends_path
-          %li= link_to "Bookmarks", bookmarks_path
-          %li= link_to "Blogs", blogs_path 
+        /%ul.nav
+        /%li= link_to "home", root_path
+        /%li= link_to "users", users_path
+        /%li= link_to "status messages", status_messages_path
+        /%li= link_to "friends", friends_path
+        /%li= link_to "bookmarks", bookmarks_path
+        /%li= link_to "blogs", blogs_path 
 
     .container
       - if show_title?
diff --git a/public/stylesheets/application.css b/public/stylesheets/application.css
index cafb31d14..37ecb2369 100644
--- a/public/stylesheets/application.css
+++ b/public/stylesheets/application.css
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 a {
-  color: #1981f7;
+  color: #cc1e14;
   text-decoration: none;
   border-bottom: dotted 1px #999999; }
 
@@ -50,8 +50,15 @@ h4 {
 
 #header {
   padding-top: 1em;
-  padding-bottom: 1em;
-  margin-bottom: 1em; }
+  padding-bottom: 5em;
+  color: white;
+  font-size: 120%;
+  background-color: #1a1a21;
+  border-bottom: 170px solid #e6eff7; }
+  #header #huge_star {
+    position: absolute;
+    font-size: 300px;
+    top: -103px; }
   #header #diaspora_text {
     border: none; }
   #header #session_action {
@@ -59,20 +66,57 @@ h4 {
   #header ul.nav {
     padding: 0;
     margin: 0;
-    display: block; }
+    display: block;
+    font-size: 130%;
+    bottom: 0; }
     #header ul.nav li {
       display: inline;
       margin-right: 1em; }
+    #header ul.nav a {
+      border-bottom: none; }
+
+#left_pane {
+  background-color: #e6eff7;
+  border-radius: 5px; }
 
 ul#stream {
   margin: 0;
   padding: 0;
-  list-style: none; }
-  ul#stream li {
-    list-style: none; }
+  text-shadow: 0 1px white;
+  color: #666666; }
   ul#stream > li {
-    padding: 2em 0;
-    border-bottom: 1px solid #666666; }
-    ul#stream > li > ul {
-      padding: 0;
-      margin: 0; }
+    list-style: none;
+    padding: 2em;
+    -webkit-box-shadow: 0 4px 5px -5px black; }
+  ul#stream li:first-child {
+    padding-top: 0; }
+
+sp.message {
+  font-size: 150%;
+  letter-spacing: 0.13em; }
+
+sp.from {
+  font-size: 120%;
+  display: block;
+  color: #999999;
+  letter-spacing: 0.1em; }
+
+body {
+  font-family: "helvetica", "arial", "sans-serif"; }
+
+div.big_text {
+  font-size: 24px;
+  font-weight: bold;
+  line-height: 36px;
+  margin-bottom: 2em; }
+  div.big_text p.description {
+    font-weight: normal;
+    color: #999999; }
+  div.big_text .big_number {
+    font-size: 300%; }
+    div.big_text .big_number a {
+      border: none; }
+
+#info_top {
+  margin-top: -140px;
+  margin-bottom: 70px; }
diff --git a/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass b/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass
index bdac89c04..3e12f1136 100644
--- a/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass
+++ b/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 a
-  :color #1981f7
+  :color #CC1E14
   :text
     :decoration none
   :border
@@ -56,9 +56,25 @@ h4
 #header
   :padding
     :top 1em
-    :bottom 1em
-  :margin
-    :bottom 1em
+    :bottom 5em
+  :color #fff
+
+  :font
+    :size 120%
+
+  :background
+    :color #1A1A21
+
+  :border
+    :bottom 170px solid #e6eff7
+
+  #huge_star
+    :position absolute
+    :font
+      :size 300px
+    //:background
+    //:color #ff3378
+    :top -103px
 
   #diaspora_text
     :border none
@@ -71,26 +87,78 @@ h4
     :padding 0
     :margin 0
     :display block
+    :font
+      :size 130%
+    :bottom 0
 
     li
       :display inline
       :margin
         :right 1em
 
+    a
+      :border
+        :bottom none
+
+#left_pane
+  :background
+    :color #E6EFF7
+  :border-radius 5px
+
+
+
 ul#stream
   :margin 0
   :padding 0
-  :list-style none
-
-  li
-    :list-style none
-
+  :text-shadow 0 1px #fff
+  :color #666
   > li
-    :padding 2em 0
-    :border
-      :bottom 1px solid #666
+    :list-style none
+    :padding 2em
+    :-webkit-box-shadow 0 4px 5px -5px #000
+  li:first-child
+    :padding
+      :top 0
 
-    > ul
-      :padding 0
-      :margin 0
+
+sp.message
+  :font
+    :size 150%
+  :letter-spacing 0.13em
+
+sp.from
+  :font
+    :size 120%
+  :display block
+  :color #999
+  :letter-spacing 0.1em 
+
+
+body
+
+  :font
+    :family 'helvetica', 'arial', 'sans-serif'
+
+div.big_text
+  :font
+    :size 24px
+    :weight bold
+  :line-height 36px
+  :margin-bottom 2em
+
+  p.description
+    :font
+      :weight normal
+    :color #999
+
+  .big_number
+    :font
+      :size 300%
+    a
+      :border none
+  
+#info_top
+  :margin
+    :top -140px
+    :bottom 70px