diff --git a/src/cheogram/res/values/colors.xml b/src/cheogram/res/values/colors.xml
index 54eadd7c3e089e029f8c72f4c27ecfa3bc1b4406..a391bea697fb54535bbefdaaaad87133cd0fc4ce 100644
--- a/src/cheogram/res/values/colors.xml
+++ b/src/cheogram/res/values/colors.xml
@@ -9,6 +9,14 @@
 	<color name="yeller">#FFC700</color>
 
 	<color name="custom_theme_primary">@color/perpy</color>
+	<color name="custom_theme_background_primary">@color/grey50</color>
+	<color name="custom_theme_background_secondary">@color/grey200</color>
+	<color name="custom_theme_background_tertiary">@color/grey300</color>
+
+	<color name="custom_theme_background_primary_dark">@color/grey800</color>
+	<color name="custom_theme_background_secondary_dark">@color/grey700</color>
+	<color name="custom_theme_background_tertiary_dark">@color/grey900</color>
 	<color name="custom_theme_primary_dark">@color/black_perpy</color>
+
 	<color name="custom_theme_accent">@color/black_perpy</color>
 </resources>
diff --git a/src/cheogram/res/values/themes.xml b/src/cheogram/res/values/themes.xml
index 27c5ace57fa2446e90d5fdef959bbb51e84bd5f8..bcd7c9097674283543c1fbd83f6db9417ae1c8cf 100644
--- a/src/cheogram/res/values/themes.xml
+++ b/src/cheogram/res/values/themes.xml
@@ -361,6 +361,9 @@
 
     <style name="ConversationsTheme.Custom" parent="ConversationsTheme">
         <item name="colorPrimary">@color/custom_theme_primary</item>
+        <item name="color_background_primary">@color/custom_theme_background_primary</item>
+        <item name="color_background_secondary">@color/custom_theme_background_secondary</item>
+        <item name="color_background_tertiary">@color/custom_theme_background_tertiary</item>
         <item name="colorPrimaryDark">@color/custom_theme_primary_dark</item>
         <item name="colorAccent">@color/custom_theme_accent</item>
         <item name="message_bubble_received_bg">?colorPrimary</item>
@@ -369,6 +372,9 @@
     <style name="ConversationsTheme.CustomDark" parent="ConversationsTheme.Dark">
         <item name="colorPrimary">@color/custom_theme_primary</item>
         <item name="colorPrimaryDark">@color/custom_theme_primary_dark</item>
+        <item name="color_background_primary">@color/custom_theme_background_primary_dark</item>
+        <item name="color_background_secondary">@color/custom_theme_background_secondary_dark</item>
+        <item name="color_background_tertiary">@color/custom_theme_background_tertiary_dark</item>
         <item name="colorAccent">@color/custom_theme_accent</item>
         <item name="message_bubble_received_bg">?colorPrimary</item>
     </style>
diff --git a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/ui/SettingsActivity.java b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/ui/SettingsActivity.java
index 92953da6f66a468d23f4041803fab56298e12231..05b0c1f6dbf7f4c2ff6dab223cc278991a3c17c0 100644
--- a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/ui/SettingsActivity.java
+++ b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/ui/SettingsActivity.java
@@ -581,7 +581,14 @@ public class SettingsActivity extends XmppActivity implements OnSharedPreference
             xmppConnectionService.reinitializeMuclumbusService();
         } else if (name.equals(AUTOMATIC_MESSAGE_DELETION)) {
             xmppConnectionService.expireOldMessages(true);
-        } else if (name.equals(THEME) || name.equals("custom_theme_primary") || name.equals("custom_theme_primary_dark") || name.equals("custom_theme_accent") || name.equals("custom_theme_dark")) {
+        } else if ( name.equals(THEME) ||
+                    name.equals("custom_theme_primary") ||
+                    name.equals("custom_theme_primary_dark") ||
+                    name.equals("custom_theme_accent") ||
+                    name.equals("custom_theme_dark") ||
+                    name.equals("custom_theme_background_primary") ||
+                    name.equals("custom_theme_background_primary_dark"))
+        {
             final int theme = findTheme();
             xmppConnectionService.setTheme(theme);
             ThemeHelper.applyCustomColors(xmppConnectionService);
diff --git a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/utils/ThemeHelper.java b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/utils/ThemeHelper.java
index 3ce5f16de1ac2aa397b83502436738dbb5522901..e844f07ba59744249bc08e0a04cf058660d4fe6b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/utils/ThemeHelper.java
+++ b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/utils/ThemeHelper.java
@@ -64,6 +64,26 @@ public class ThemeHelper {
 		if (sharedPreferences.contains("custom_theme_primary")) colors.put(R.color.custom_theme_primary, sharedPreferences.getInt("custom_theme_primary", 0));
 		if (sharedPreferences.contains("custom_theme_primary_dark")) colors.put(R.color.custom_theme_primary_dark, sharedPreferences.getInt("custom_theme_primary_dark", 0));
 		if (sharedPreferences.contains("custom_theme_accent")) colors.put(R.color.custom_theme_accent, sharedPreferences.getInt("custom_theme_accent", 0));
+		if (sharedPreferences.contains("custom_theme_background_primary")) {
+			int background_primary = sharedPreferences.getInt("custom_theme_background_primary", 0);
+			int alpha = (background_primary >> 24) & 0xFF;
+			int red = (background_primary >> 16) & 0xFF;
+			int green = (background_primary >> 8) & 0xFF;
+			int blue = background_primary & 0xFF;
+			colors.put(R.color.custom_theme_background_primary, background_primary);
+			colors.put(R.color.custom_theme_background_secondary, (int)((alpha << 24) | ((int)(red*.9) << 16) | ((int)(green*.9) << 8) | (int)(blue*.9)));
+			colors.put(R.color.custom_theme_background_tertiary, (int)((alpha << 24) | ((int)(red*.85) << 16) | ((int)(green*.85) << 8) | (int)(blue*.85)));
+		}
+		if (sharedPreferences.contains("custom_theme_background_primary_dark")) {
+			int background_primary = sharedPreferences.getInt("custom_theme_background_primary_dark", 0);
+			int alpha = (background_primary >> 24) & 0xFF;
+			int red = (background_primary >> 16) & 0xFF;
+			int green = (background_primary >> 8) & 0xFF;
+			int blue = background_primary & 0xFF;
+			colors.put(R.color.custom_theme_background_primary_dark, background_primary);
+			colors.put(R.color.custom_theme_background_secondary_dark, (int)((alpha << 24) | ((int)(40 + red*.84) << 16) | ((int)(40 + green*.84) << 8) | (int)(40 + blue*.84)));
+			colors.put(R.color.custom_theme_background_tertiary_dark, (int)((alpha << 24) | ((int)(red*.5) << 16) | ((int)(green*.5) << 8) | (int)(blue*.5)));
+		}
 		if (colors.isEmpty()) return colors;
 
 		ResourcesLoader loader = ColorResourcesLoaderCreator.create(context, colors);
diff --git a/src/main/res/xml/preferences.xml b/src/main/res/xml/preferences.xml
index 41fa01d0f2e626c8e5462a05bfb700136da9ffcc..260cca0b19931ea19161fe530fde121716f4dd3b 100644
--- a/src/main/res/xml/preferences.xml
+++ b/src/main/res/xml/preferences.xml
@@ -211,6 +211,16 @@
                     android:defaultValue="false"
                     android:key="custom_theme_dark"
                     android:title="Custom Theme is Dark?" />
+                <com.rarepebble.colorpicker.ColorPreference
+                    android:key="custom_theme_background_primary"
+                    android:title="Custom Background Color"
+                    android:defaultValue="@color/grey50"
+                    app:colorpicker_showAlpha="false" />
+                <com.rarepebble.colorpicker.ColorPreference
+                    android:key="custom_theme_background_primary_dark"
+                    android:title="Custom Dark Background Color"
+                    android:defaultValue="@color/grey800"
+                    app:colorpicker_showAlpha="false" />
                 <com.rarepebble.colorpicker.ColorPreference
                     android:key="custom_theme_primary"
                     android:title="Custom Primary Color"