diff --git a/options-table.c b/options-table.c
index 31b0e372..3aa72e78 100644
--- a/options-table.c
+++ b/options-table.c
@@ -881,6 +881,13 @@ const struct options_table_entry options_table[] = {
 	  .text = "Style of the marked line in copy mode."
 	},
 
+	{ .name = "fill-character",
+	  .type = OPTIONS_TABLE_STRING,
+	  .scope = OPTIONS_TABLE_WINDOW,
+	  .default_str = "",
+	  .text = "Character used to fill unused parts of window."
+	},
+
 	{ .name = "main-pane-height",
 	  .type = OPTIONS_TABLE_STRING,
 	  .scope = OPTIONS_TABLE_WINDOW,
diff --git a/options.c b/options.c
index 865ab01f..f9cf2afd 100644
--- a/options.c
+++ b/options.c
@@ -1108,6 +1108,8 @@ options_push_changes(const char *name)
 	struct window_pane	*wp;
 	int			 c;
 
+	log_debug("%s: %s", __func__, name);
+
 	if (strcmp(name, "automatic-rename") == 0) {
 		RB_FOREACH(w, windows, &windows) {
 			if (w->active == NULL)
@@ -1130,6 +1132,10 @@ options_push_changes(const char *name)
 			    &wp->screen->default_mode);
 		}
 	}
+	if (strcmp(name, "fill-character") == 0) {
+		RB_FOREACH(w, windows, &windows)
+			window_set_fill_character(w);
+	}
 	if (strcmp(name, "key-table") == 0) {
 		TAILQ_FOREACH(loop, &clients, entry)
 			server_client_set_key_table(loop, NULL);
diff --git a/screen-redraw.c b/screen-redraw.c
index ef79d9aa..c4906ab8 100644
--- a/screen-redraw.c
+++ b/screen-redraw.c
@@ -47,11 +47,16 @@ enum screen_redraw_border_type {
 
 /* Get cell border character. */
 static void
-screen_redraw_border_set(struct window_pane *wp, enum pane_lines pane_lines,
-    int cell_type, struct grid_cell *gc)
+screen_redraw_border_set(struct window *w, struct window_pane *wp,
+    enum pane_lines pane_lines, int cell_type, struct grid_cell *gc)
 {
 	u_int	idx;
 
+	if (cell_type == CELL_OUTSIDE && w->fill_character != NULL) {
+		utf8_copy(&gc->data, &w->fill_character[0]);
+		return;
+	}
+
 	switch (pane_lines) {
 	case PANE_LINES_NUMBER:
 		if (cell_type == CELL_OUTSIDE) {
@@ -409,7 +414,7 @@ screen_redraw_make_pane_status(struct client *c, struct window_pane *wp,
 		else
 			py = wp->yoff + wp->sy;
 		cell_type = screen_redraw_type_of_cell(c, px, py, pane_status);
-		screen_redraw_border_set(wp, pane_lines, cell_type, &gc);
+		screen_redraw_border_set(w, wp, pane_lines, cell_type, &gc);
 		screen_write_cell(&ctx, &gc);
 	}
 	gc.attr &= ~GRID_ATTR_CHARSET;
@@ -690,7 +695,7 @@ screen_redraw_draw_borders_cell(struct screen_redraw_ctx *ctx, u_int i, u_int j)
 		    screen_redraw_check_is(x, y, pane_status, marked_pane.wp))
 			gc.attr ^= GRID_ATTR_REVERSE;
 	}
-	screen_redraw_border_set(wp, ctx->pane_lines, cell_type, &gc);
+	screen_redraw_border_set(w, wp, ctx->pane_lines, cell_type, &gc);
 
 	if (cell_type == CELL_TOPBOTTOM &&
 	    (c->flags & CLIENT_UTF8) &&
diff --git a/tmux.1 b/tmux.1
index a7a6846f..a3a37e1e 100644
--- a/tmux.1
+++ b/tmux.1
@@ -4117,6 +4117,9 @@ Set clock colour.
 .Xc
 Set clock hour format.
 .Pp
+.It Ic fill-character Ar character
+Set the character used to fill areas of the terminal unused by a window.
+.Pp
 .It Ic main-pane-height Ar height
 .It Ic main-pane-width Ar width
 Set the width or height of the main (left or top) pane in the
diff --git a/tmux.h b/tmux.h
index 8a8535dd..e23ad3a1 100644
--- a/tmux.h
+++ b/tmux.h
@@ -1070,40 +1070,41 @@ RB_HEAD(window_pane_tree, window_pane);
 
 /* Window structure. */
 struct window {
-	u_int		 id;
-	void		*latest;
+	u_int			 id;
+	void			*latest;
 
-	char		*name;
-	struct event	 name_event;
-	struct timeval	 name_time;
+	char			*name;
+	struct event		 name_event;
+	struct timeval		 name_time;
 
-	struct event	 alerts_timer;
-	struct event	 offset_timer;
+	struct event		 alerts_timer;
+	struct event		 offset_timer;
 
-	struct timeval	 activity_time;
+	struct timeval		 activity_time;
 
-	struct window_pane *active;
-	struct window_pane *last;
-	struct window_panes panes;
+	struct window_pane	*active;
+	struct window_pane	*last;
+	struct window_panes	 panes;
 
-	int		 lastlayout;
-	struct layout_cell *layout_root;
-	struct layout_cell *saved_layout_root;
-	char		*old_layout;
+	int			 lastlayout;
+	struct layout_cell	*layout_root;
+	struct layout_cell	*saved_layout_root;
+	char			*old_layout;
 
-	u_int		 sx;
-	u_int		 sy;
-	u_int		 manual_sx;
-	u_int		 manual_sy;
-	u_int		 xpixel;
-	u_int		 ypixel;
+	u_int			 sx;
+	u_int			 sy;
+	u_int			 manual_sx;
+	u_int			 manual_sy;
+	u_int			 xpixel;
+	u_int			 ypixel;
 
-	u_int		 new_sx;
-	u_int		 new_sy;
-	u_int		 new_xpixel;
-	u_int		 new_ypixel;
+	u_int			 new_sx;
+	u_int			 new_sy;
+	u_int			 new_xpixel;
+	u_int			 new_ypixel;
 
-	int		 flags;
+	struct utf8_data	*fill_character;
+	int			 flags;
 #define WINDOW_BELL 0x1
 #define WINDOW_ACTIVITY 0x2
 #define WINDOW_SILENCE 0x4
@@ -1112,15 +1113,15 @@ struct window {
 #define WINDOW_RESIZE 0x20
 #define WINDOW_ALERTFLAGS (WINDOW_BELL|WINDOW_ACTIVITY|WINDOW_SILENCE)
 
-	int		 alerts_queued;
-	TAILQ_ENTRY(window) alerts_entry;
+	int			 alerts_queued;
+	TAILQ_ENTRY(window)	 alerts_entry;
 
-	struct options	*options;
+	struct options		*options;
 
-	u_int		 references;
-	TAILQ_HEAD(, winlink) winlinks;
+	u_int			 references;
+	TAILQ_HEAD(, winlink)	 winlinks;
 
-	RB_ENTRY(window) entry;
+	RB_ENTRY(window)	 entry;
 };
 RB_HEAD(windows, window);
 
@@ -2977,6 +2978,7 @@ void		*window_pane_get_new_data(struct window_pane *,
 		     struct window_pane_offset *, size_t *);
 void		 window_pane_update_used_data(struct window_pane *,
 		     struct window_pane_offset *, size_t);
+void		 window_set_fill_character(struct window *);
 
 /* layout.c */
 u_int		 layout_count_cells(struct layout_cell *);
diff --git a/window.c b/window.c
index fcc61c2a..bce8913a 100644
--- a/window.c
+++ b/window.c
@@ -329,6 +329,7 @@ window_create(u_int sx, u_int sy, u_int xpixel, u_int ypixel)
 	w->id = next_window_id++;
 	RB_INSERT(windows, &windows, w);
 
+	window_set_fill_character(w);
 	window_update_activity(w);
 
 	log_debug("%s: @%u create %ux%u (%ux%u)", __func__, w->id, sx, sy,
@@ -360,6 +361,7 @@ window_destroy(struct window *w)
 		event_del(&w->offset_timer);
 
 	options_free(w->options);
+	free(w->fill_character);
 
 	free(w->name);
 	free(w);
@@ -1599,3 +1601,20 @@ window_pane_update_used_data(struct window_pane *wp,
 		size = EVBUFFER_LENGTH(wp->event->input) - used;
 	wpo->used += size;
 }
+
+void
+window_set_fill_character(struct window *w)
+{
+	const char		*value;
+	struct utf8_data	*ud;
+
+	free(w->fill_character);
+	w->fill_character = NULL;
+
+	value = options_get_string(w->options, "fill-character");
+	if (*value != '\0' && utf8_isvalid(value)) {
+		ud = utf8_fromcstr(value);
+		if (ud != NULL && ud[0].width == 1)
+			w->fill_character = ud;
+	}
+}