diff --git a/fractal-gtk/res/app.css b/fractal-gtk/res/app.css
index 2adfbc29..aee70484 100644
--- a/fractal-gtk/res/app.css
+++ b/fractal-gtk/res/app.css
@@ -26,7 +26,8 @@
     color: @theme_selected_bg_color;
 }
 
-.room-list list {
+.room-list list,
+.rooms-sidebar {
     background-color: #f4f4f3;
 }
 
diff --git a/fractal-gtk/res/main_window.glade b/fractal-gtk/res/main_window.glade
index 7c0b828d..1f129c2b 100644
--- a/fractal-gtk/res/main_window.glade
+++ b/fractal-gtk/res/main_window.glade
@@ -317,6 +317,9 @@
                         <child>
                           <placeholder/>
                         </child>
+                        <style>
+                          <class name="rooms-sidebar"/>
+                        </style>
                       </object>
                     </child>
                   </object>
diff --git a/fractal-gtk/src/app.rs b/fractal-gtk/src/app.rs
index db0ab039..b8566e40 100644
--- a/fractal-gtk/src/app.rs
+++ b/fractal-gtk/src/app.rs
@@ -471,27 +471,21 @@ impl AppOp {
             .get_object("room_container")
             .expect("Couldn't find room_container in ui file.");
 
-        let mut array: Vec<Room> = vec![];
+        let selected_room = self.roomlist.get_selected();
 
         self.rooms.clear();
         for ch in container.get_children().iter() {
             container.remove(ch);
         }
 
-        for r in rooms {
+        for r in rooms.iter() {
             self.rooms.insert(r.id.clone(), r.clone());
-            array.push(r);
         }
 
-        // TODO: sort by last message
-        array.sort_by(|x, y| x.name.clone().unwrap_or_default().to_lowercase().cmp(&y.name.clone().unwrap_or_default().to_lowercase()));
-
         self.roomlist = widgets::RoomList::new(Some(self.server_url.clone()));
+        self.roomlist.add_rooms(rooms.iter().cloned().collect());
         container.add(&self.roomlist.widget());
-
-        for v in array {
-            self.roomlist.add_room(v.clone());
-        }
+        self.roomlist.set_selected(selected_room);
 
         let bk = self.backend.clone();
         self.roomlist.connect(move |room| {
diff --git a/fractal-gtk/src/widgets/roomlist.rs b/fractal-gtk/src/widgets/roomlist.rs
index f2f871fb..d681a333 100644
--- a/fractal-gtk/src/widgets/roomlist.rs
+++ b/fractal-gtk/src/widgets/roomlist.rs
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@ impl RoomList {
 
         b.pack_start(&self.list, true, true, 0);
         b.show_all();
+        self.render_notifies();
 
         b
     }
@@ -113,4 +114,41 @@ impl RoomList {
             cb(rs[idx as usize].clone());
         });
     }
+
+    pub fn get_selected(&self) -> Option<String> {
+        match self.list.get_selected_row() {
+            Some(row) => Some(self.roomvec[row.get_index() as usize].id.clone()),
+            None => None,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn set_selected(&self, room: Option<String>) {
+        self.list.unselect_all();
+
+        if room.is_none() {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        let room = room.unwrap();
+
+        if let Some(idx) = self.roomvec.iter().position(|x| { x.id == room}) {
+            if let Some(ref row) = self.list.get_row_at_index(idx as i32) {
+                self.list.select_row(row);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn add_rooms(&mut self, mut array: Vec<Room>) {
+        array.sort_by_key(|x| x.name.clone().unwrap_or_default().to_lowercase());
+
+        for r in array {
+            self.add_room(r);
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn render_notifies(&self) {
+        for (_k, r) in self.rooms.iter() {
+            r.render_notifies();
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/fractal-gtk/src/widgets/roomrow.rs b/fractal-gtk/src/widgets/roomrow.rs
index 3a1ad341..8fa266af 100644
--- a/fractal-gtk/src/widgets/roomrow.rs
+++ b/fractal-gtk/src/widgets/roomrow.rs
@@ -43,10 +43,15 @@ impl RoomRow {
         text.set_alignment(0.0, 0.0);
         text.set_ellipsize(pango::EllipsizeMode::End);
 
-        let notifications = gtk::Label::new(&format!("{}", room.notifications)[..]);
+        let n = room.notifications;
+        let notifications = gtk::Label::new(&format!("{}", n)[..]);
         if let Some(style) = notifications.get_style_context() {
             style.add_class("notify-badge");
         }
+        match n {
+            0 => notifications.hide(),
+            _ => notifications.show(),
+        }
 
         icon.default(String::from("avatar-default-symbolic"), Some(ICON_SIZE));
         if avatar.starts_with("mxc") || avatar.is_empty() {
@@ -72,6 +77,13 @@ impl RoomRow {
         }
     }
 
+    pub fn render_notifies(&self) {
+        match self.room.notifications {
+            0 => self.notifications.hide(),
+            _ => self.notifications.show(),
+        }
+    }
+
     pub fn set_name(&mut self, name: String) {
         self.room.name = Some(name.clone());
         self.text.set_text(&name);