diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 9109314..a7a44bc 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ endif(NOT CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE)
 # detect system type
 if(CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME MATCHES "Linux")
   message(STATUS "Linux detected")
-  set(METER_SOURCES "linux/memory.cc" "linux/cpu.cc" "common/load.cc")
+  set(METER_SOURCES "linux/memory.cc" "linux/cpu.cc" "common/load.cc" "common/powerline.cc")
 elseif(CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME MATCHES "Darwin")
   message(STATUS "Darwin detected")
   set(METER_SOURCES "osx/memory.cc" "osx/cpu.cc" "common/load.cc")
@@ -111,6 +111,10 @@ if(BUILD_TESTING)
     COMMAND tmux-mem-cpu-load --colors
     )
 
+  add_test(NAME powerline
+    COMMAND tmux-mem-cpu-load --powerline
+    )
+
   add_test(NAME invalid_status_interval
     COMMAND tmux-mem-cpu-load -i -1
     )
diff --git a/common/load.cc b/common/load.cc
index 67c6d08..1ed1ebd 100644
--- a/common/load.cc
+++ b/common/load.cc
@@ -30,10 +30,12 @@
 #include "load.h"
 #include "luts.h"
 
+#include "powerline.h"
+
 // Load Averages
-std::string load_string( bool use_colors = false )
+std::string load_string( bool use_colors, bool use_powerline )
 {
-  std::stringstream ss;
+  std::ostringstream ss;
   // Get only 3 load averages
   const int nelem = 3;
   double averages[nelem];
@@ -54,7 +56,7 @@ std::string load_string( bool use_colors = false )
       {
         load_percent = 100;
       }
-      ss << load_lut[load_percent];
+      powerline(ss,  load_lut[load_percent], use_powerline);
     }
 
     ss << ' ';
@@ -75,7 +77,10 @@ std::string load_string( bool use_colors = false )
 
     if( use_colors )
     {
-      ss << "#[fg=default,bg=default]";
+      if(use_powerline)
+        ss << ' ';
+      else
+        ss << "#[fg=default,bg=default]";
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/common/load.h b/common/load.h
index f1bbc58..b8d50f9 100644
--- a/common/load.h
+++ b/common/load.h
@@ -21,6 +21,6 @@
 
 #include <string>
 
-std::string load_string( bool );
+std::string load_string( bool use_colors = false, bool use_powerline = false );
 
 #endif
diff --git a/common/main.cc b/common/main.cc
index 80ae922..df79865 100644
--- a/common/main.cc
+++ b/common/main.cc
@@ -33,8 +33,10 @@
 #include "memory.h"
 #include "load.h"
 
+#include "powerline.h"
+
 std::string cpu_string( unsigned int cpu_usage_delay, unsigned int graph_lines,
-	bool use_colors = false )
+    bool use_colors = false, bool use_powerline = false )
 {
 
   float percentage;
@@ -49,7 +51,8 @@ std::string cpu_string( unsigned int cpu_usage_delay, unsigned int graph_lines,
 
   if( use_colors )
   {
-    oss << cpu_percentage_lut[static_cast<unsigned int>( percentage )];
+    unsigned int percent = static_cast<unsigned int>( percentage );
+    powerline(oss, cpu_percentage_lut[percent], use_powerline);
   }
 
   if( graph_lines > 0)
@@ -63,7 +66,10 @@ std::string cpu_string( unsigned int cpu_usage_delay, unsigned int graph_lines,
   oss << "%";
   if( use_colors )
   {
-    oss << "#[fg=default,bg=default]";
+    if( use_powerline )
+      oss << ' ';
+    else
+      oss << "#[fg=default,bg=default]";
   }
 
   return oss.str();
@@ -79,8 +85,11 @@ void print_help()
     << "Available options:\n"
     << "-h, --help\n"
     << "\t Prints this help message\n"
+    << "-c, --colors\n"
     << "--colors\n"
     << "\tUse tmux colors in output\n"
+    << "-p, --powerline\n"
+    << "\tUse powerline symbols throughout the output, DO NOT reset background color at the end, enables --colors\n"
     << "-i <value>, --interval <value>\n"
     << "\tSet tmux status refresh interval in seconds. Default: 1 second\n"
     << "-g <value>, --graph-lines <value>\n"
@@ -95,6 +104,7 @@ int main( int argc, char** argv )
   unsigned cpu_usage_delay = 990000;
   short graph_lines = 10; // max 32767 should be enough
   bool use_colors = false;
+  bool use_powerline = false;
   MEMORY_MODE mem_mode = MEMORY_MODE_DEFAULT;
 
   static struct option long_options[] =
@@ -105,6 +115,7 @@ int main( int argc, char** argv )
     // otherwise it's a value to set the variable *flag points to
     { "help", no_argument, NULL, 'h' },
     { "colors", no_argument, NULL, 'c' },
+    { "powerline", no_argument, NULL, 'p' },
     { "interval", required_argument, NULL, 'i' },
     { "graph-lines", required_argument, NULL, 'g' },
     { "mem-mode", required_argument, NULL, 'm' },
@@ -124,6 +135,10 @@ int main( int argc, char** argv )
       case 'c': // --colors
         use_colors = true;
         break;
+      case 'p': // --powerline
+        use_colors = true;
+        use_powerline = true;
+        break;
       case 'i': // --interval, -i
         if( atoi( optarg ) < 1 )
           {
@@ -168,9 +183,9 @@ int main( int argc, char** argv )
 
   MemoryStatus memory_status;
   mem_status( memory_status );
-  std::cout << mem_string( memory_status, mem_mode, use_colors )
-    << cpu_string( cpu_usage_delay, graph_lines, use_colors )
-    << load_string( use_colors );
+  std::cout << mem_string( memory_status, mem_mode, use_colors, use_powerline )
+    << cpu_string( cpu_usage_delay, graph_lines, use_colors, use_powerline )
+    << load_string( use_colors, use_powerline );
 
   return EXIT_SUCCESS;
 }
diff --git a/common/memory.cc b/common/memory.cc
index 23a4ea5..c517ef0 100644
--- a/common/memory.cc
+++ b/common/memory.cc
@@ -21,10 +21,12 @@
 #include "memory.h"
 #include "luts.h"
 #include "conversions.h"
+#include "powerline.h"
 
 std::string mem_string( const MemoryStatus & mem_status,
   MEMORY_MODE mode,
-  bool use_colors )
+  bool use_colors,
+  bool use_powerline )
 {
   std::ostringstream oss;
   // Change the percision for floats, for a pretty output
@@ -33,7 +35,8 @@ std::string mem_string( const MemoryStatus & mem_status,
 
   if( use_colors )
   {
-    oss << mem_lut[static_cast< unsigned int >((100 * mem_status.used_mem) / mem_status.total_mem)];
+    unsigned int color = static_cast< unsigned int >((100 * mem_status.used_mem) / mem_status.total_mem);
+    powerline(oss, mem_lut[color], use_powerline);
   }
 
   switch( mode )
@@ -70,7 +73,14 @@ std::string mem_string( const MemoryStatus & mem_status,
 
   if( use_colors )
   {
-    oss << "#[fg=default,bg=default]";
+    if( use_powerline )
+    {
+      oss << " ";
+    }
+    else
+    {
+      oss << "#[fg=default,bg=default]";
+    }
   }
 
   return oss.str();
diff --git a/common/memory.h b/common/memory.h
index 8fac41a..a815312 100644
--- a/common/memory.h
+++ b/common/memory.h
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ enum MEMORY_MODE
 
 std::string mem_string( const MemoryStatus & mem_status,
   MEMORY_MODE mode = MEMORY_MODE_DEFAULT,
-  bool use_colors = false );
+  bool use_colors = false,
+  bool use_powerline = false );
 
 #endif
diff --git a/common/powerline.cc b/common/powerline.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6825eb2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/powerline.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+#include "powerline.h"
+
+#include <cstring>
+#include <sstream>
+
+#define PWL_RIGHT_FILLED ""
+
+const char * bg2fg(const char s[])
+{
+  static char buf[40] = {0};
+  const char *substr = index(s, ',');
+  buf[0] = '#';
+  buf[1] = '[';
+  buf[2] = 'f';
+  strcpy(buf+3, substr+2);
+  return buf;
+}
+
+void powerline(std::ostringstream &oss, const char s[], bool use_powerline)
+{
+    if (use_powerline)
+    oss << bg2fg(s)
+        << PWL_RIGHT_FILLED
+        << s << ' ';
+    else
+        oss << s;
+}
diff --git a/common/powerline.h b/common/powerline.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..60b45e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/powerline.h
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#ifndef POWERLINE_H
+#define POWERLINE_H
+
+#include <sstream>
+
+void powerline(std::ostringstream &oss, const char s[], bool);
+
+#endif // POWERLINE_H