diff --git a/app/soapbox/components/account_search.js b/app/soapbox/components/account_search.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..77eae54ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/soapbox/components/account_search.js
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
+import { defineMessages, injectIntl } from 'react-intl';
+import Icon from 'soapbox/components/icon';
+import AutosuggestAccountInput from 'soapbox/components/autosuggest_account_input';
+import classNames from 'classnames';
+
+const messages = defineMessages({
+  placeholder: { id: 'account_search.placeholder', defaultMessage: 'Search for an account' },
+});
+
+export default @injectIntl
+class AccountSearch extends React.PureComponent {
+
+  static propTypes = {
+    intl: PropTypes.object.isRequired,
+    onSelected: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+  };
+
+  state = {
+    value: '',
+  }
+
+  isEmpty = () => {
+    const { value } = this.state;
+    return !(value.length > 0);
+  }
+
+  clearState = () => {
+    this.setState({ value: '' });
+  }
+
+  handleChange = ({ target }) => {
+    this.setState({ value: target.value });
+  }
+
+  handleSelected = accountId => {
+    this.clearState();
+    this.props.onSelected(accountId);
+  }
+
+  handleClear = e => {
+    e.preventDefault();
+
+    if (!this.isEmpty()) {
+      this.setState({ value: '' });
+    }
+  }
+
+  handleKeyDown = e => {
+    if (e.key === 'Escape') {
+      document.querySelector('.ui').parentElement.focus();
+    }
+  }
+
+  render() {
+    const { intl, onSelected, ...rest } = this.props;
+    const { value } = this.state;
+    const isEmpty = this.isEmpty();
+
+    return (
+      <div className='search search--account'>
+        <label>
+          <span style={{ display: 'none' }}>{intl.formatMessage(messages.placeholder)}</span>
+          <AutosuggestAccountInput
+            className='search__input'
+            placeholder={intl.formatMessage(messages.placeholder)}
+            value={value}
+            onChange={this.handleChange}
+            onSelected={this.handleSelected}
+            onKeyDown={this.handleKeyDown}
+            {...rest}
+          />
+        </label>
+        <div role='button' tabIndex='0' className='search__icon' onClick={this.handleClear}>
+          <Icon src={require('@tabler/icons/icons/search.svg')} className={classNames('svg-icon--search', { active: isEmpty })} />
+          <Icon src={require('@tabler/icons/icons/backspace.svg')} className={classNames('svg-icon--backspace', { active: !isEmpty })} aria-label={intl.formatMessage(messages.placeholder)} />
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    );
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/app/soapbox/components/autosuggest_account_input.js b/app/soapbox/components/autosuggest_account_input.js
index 518a8548d..b359323ab 100644
--- a/app/soapbox/components/autosuggest_account_input.js
+++ b/app/soapbox/components/autosuggest_account_input.js
@@ -4,34 +4,29 @@ import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
 import { CancelToken } from 'axios';
 import ImmutablePureComponent from 'react-immutable-pure-component';
 import { connect } from 'react-redux';
-import { injectIntl, defineMessages } from 'react-intl';
 import { OrderedSet as ImmutableOrderedSet } from 'immutable';
 import { accountSearch } from 'soapbox/actions/accounts';
 import { throttle } from 'lodash';
 
 const noOp = () => {};
 
-const messages = defineMessages({
-  placeholder: { id: 'autosuggest_account_input.default_placeholder', defaultMessage: 'Search for an account' },
-});
-
 export default @connect()
-@injectIntl
 class AutosuggestAccountInput extends ImmutablePureComponent {
 
   static propTypes = {
-    intl: PropTypes.object.isRequired,
     dispatch: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+    onChange: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
     onSelected: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
-    limit: PropTypes.number,
+    value: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
+    limit: PropTypes.number.isRequired,
   }
 
   static defaultProps = {
+    value: '',
     limit: 4,
   }
 
   state = {
-    text: '',
     accountIds: ImmutableOrderedSet(),
   }
 
@@ -43,6 +38,10 @@ class AutosuggestAccountInput extends ImmutablePureComponent {
     return this.source;
   }
 
+  clearResults = () => {
+    this.setState({ accountIds: ImmutableOrderedSet() });
+  }
+
   handleAccountSearch = throttle(q => {
     const { dispatch, limit } = this.props;
     const source = this.refreshCancelToken();
@@ -58,23 +57,28 @@ class AutosuggestAccountInput extends ImmutablePureComponent {
 
   }, 900, { leading: true, trailing: true })
 
-  handleChange = ({ target }) => {
-    this.handleAccountSearch(target.value);
-    this.setState({ text: target.value });
+  handleChange = e => {
+    this.handleAccountSearch(e.target.value);
+    this.props.onChange(e);
   }
 
   handleSelected = (tokenStart, lastToken, accountId) => {
     this.props.onSelected(accountId);
   }
 
+  componentDidUpdate(prevProps) {
+    if (this.props.value === '' && prevProps.value !== '') {
+      this.clearResults();
+    }
+  }
+
   render() {
-    const { intl, ...rest } = this.props;
-    const { text, accountIds } = this.state;
+    const { intl, value, onChange, ...rest } = this.props;
+    const { accountIds } = this.state;
 
     return (
       <AutosuggestInput
-        placeholder={intl.formatMessage(messages.placeholder)}
-        value={text}
+        value={value}
         onChange={this.handleChange}
         suggestions={accountIds.toList()}
         onSuggestionsFetchRequested={noOp}
diff --git a/app/soapbox/features/direct_timeline/index.js b/app/soapbox/features/direct_timeline/index.js
index 573ed78fe..008a3c3d2 100644
--- a/app/soapbox/features/direct_timeline/index.js
+++ b/app/soapbox/features/direct_timeline/index.js
@@ -8,10 +8,11 @@ import { expandDirectTimeline } from '../../actions/timelines';
 import { defineMessages, injectIntl, FormattedMessage } from 'react-intl';
 import { connectDirectStream } from '../../actions/streaming';
 import { directComposeById } from 'soapbox/actions/compose';
-import AutosuggestAccountInput from 'soapbox/components/autosuggest_account_input';
+import AccountSearch from 'soapbox/components/account_search';
 
 const messages = defineMessages({
   title: { id: 'column.direct', defaultMessage: 'Direct messages' },
+  searchPlaceholder: { id: 'direct.search_placeholder', defaultMessage: 'Search for an account to message…' },
 });
 
 const mapStateToProps = state => ({
@@ -62,7 +63,10 @@ class DirectTimeline extends React.PureComponent {
           onPin={this.handlePin}
         />
 
-        <AutosuggestAccountInput onSelected={this.handleSuggestion} />
+        <AccountSearch
+          placeholder={intl.formatMessage(messages.searchPlaceholder)}
+          onSelected={this.handleSuggestion}
+        />
 
         <StatusListContainer
           scrollKey='direct_timeline'
diff --git a/app/styles/components/search.scss b/app/styles/components/search.scss
index be71491a5..87a2142d9 100644
--- a/app/styles/components/search.scss
+++ b/app/styles/components/search.scss
@@ -167,9 +167,12 @@
 
 .search-page {
   height: 100%;
+}
 
+.column {
   .search {
     padding: 10px 15px;
+    background-color: var(--foreground-color);
     border-bottom: 1px solid hsla(var(--primary-text-color_hsl), 0.2);
   }