diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/gitlab-theme.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/gitlab-theme.scss
index d1ff63bd09902cc44d2559838511587a7f7d437f..3673b81f183ff0e34ea288bb34eaa4319841e104 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/gitlab-theme.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/gitlab-theme.scss
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
     .toggle-nav-collapse,
     .pin-nav-btn {
       color: $color-light;
-      background: $color;
 
       &:hover {
         color: $white-light;
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/sidebar.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/sidebar.scss
index 1a2220f3b40aa24fc5c5a76328a2a008e4e1681a..cec526784958d08b691cc9080b6e60bf2b127d7d 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/sidebar.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/sidebar.scss
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
     height: 100%;
     overflow: hidden;
     transition: width $sidebar-transition-duration;
-    @include box-shadow(2px 0 16px 0 #bbb);
+    @include box-shadow(2px 0 16px 0 $black-transparent);
   }
 }
 
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@
     }
 
     a {
-      padding: 7px 15px 7px 12px;
+      padding: 7px 16px;
       font-size: $gl-font-size;
       line-height: 24px;
       display: block;
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@
   }
 }
 
-.toggle-nav-collapse {
+.sidebar-action-buttons {
   width: $sidebar_width;
   position: absolute;
   top: 0;
@@ -117,12 +117,37 @@
   padding: 5px 0;
   font-size: 18px;
   line-height: 30px;
+
+  .toggle-nav-collapse {
+    left: 0;
+  }
+
+  .pin-nav-btn {
+    right: 0;
+    display: none;
+
+    @media (min-width: $sidebar-breakpoint) {
+      display: block;
+    }
+
+    .fa {
+      transition: transform .15s;
+    }
+
+    &.is-active {
+      .fa {
+        transform: rotate(90deg);
+      }
+    }
+  }
 }
 
 .nav-header-btn {
-  padding: 10px 5px;
+  padding: 10px 16px;
   color: inherit;
   transition-duration: .3s;
+  position: absolute;
+  top: 0;
 
   &:hover,
   &:focus {
@@ -131,30 +156,6 @@
   }
 }
 
-.pin-nav-btn {
-  display: none;
-  position: absolute;
-  left: 0;
-  bottom: 0;
-  height: 50px;
-  width: $sidebar_width;
-  line-height: 30px;
-
-  @media (min-width: $sidebar-breakpoint) {
-    display: block;
-  }
-
-  .fa {
-    transition: transform .15s;
-  }
-
-  &.is-active {
-    .fa {
-      transform: rotate(90deg);
-    }
-  }
-}
-
 .page-sidebar-collapsed {
   padding-left: 0;
 
diff --git a/app/views/layouts/_collapse_button.html.haml b/app/views/layouts/_collapse_button.html.haml
deleted file mode 100644
index 8c140a5943eb9db8ee56d8dcca8aaea9f96c6fbc..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/app/views/layouts/_collapse_button.html.haml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-= link_to '#', class: 'nav-header-btn text-center toggle-nav-collapse', title: "Open/Close" do
-  %span.sr-only Toggle navigation
-  = icon('bars')
diff --git a/app/views/layouts/_page.html.haml b/app/views/layouts/_page.html.haml
index 8596bbfdef647ed12b1d1e622c2886255584f752..90c1fa4c87c264a71dd42f6cd62a8f0f6450226a 100644
--- a/app/views/layouts/_page.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/layouts/_page.html.haml
@@ -1,6 +1,13 @@
 .page-with-sidebar{ class: "#{page_sidebar_class} #{page_gutter_class}" }
   .sidebar-wrapper.nicescroll{ class: nav_sidebar_class }
-    = render partial: 'layouts/collapse_button'
+    .sidebar-action-buttons
+      = link_to '#', class: 'nav-header-btn toggle-nav-collapse', title: "Open/Close" do
+        %span.sr-only Toggle navigation
+        = icon('bars')
+      = link_to '#', class: "nav-header-btn pin-nav-btn has-tooltip #{'is-active' if pinned_nav?} js-nav-pin", title: pinned_nav? ? "Unpin navigation" : "Pin Navigation", data: {placement: 'right', container: 'body'} do
+        %span.sr-only Toggle navigation pinning
+        = icon('thumb-tack')
+
     - if defined?(sidebar) && sidebar
       = render "layouts/nav/#{sidebar}"
     - elsif current_user
@@ -8,9 +15,6 @@
     - else
       = render 'layouts/nav/explore'
 
-    = link_to '#', class: "nav-header-btn text-center pin-nav-btn has-tooltip #{'is-active' if pinned_nav?} js-nav-pin", title: pinned_nav? ? "Unpin navigation" : "Pin Navigation", data: {placement: 'right', container: 'body'} do
-      %span.sr-only Toggle navigation pinning
-      = icon('thumb-tack')
   - if defined?(nav) && nav
     .layout-nav
       .container-fluid
diff --git a/app/views/layouts/nav/_dashboard.html.haml b/app/views/layouts/nav/_dashboard.html.haml
index 52e41b1a8576e9305780f0af1cb922d945db5b2d..216686988143d71713d5707ea92cb59c63d2b741 100644
--- a/app/views/layouts/nav/_dashboard.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/layouts/nav/_dashboard.html.haml
@@ -1,64 +1,44 @@
 %ul.nav.nav-sidebar
   = nav_link(path: ['root#index', 'projects#trending', 'projects#starred', 'dashboard/projects#index'], html_options: {class: "#{project_tab_class} home"}) do
     = link_to dashboard_projects_path, title: 'Projects', class: 'dashboard-shortcuts-projects' do
-      .icon-container
-        = navbar_icon('project')
       %span
         Projects
   = nav_link(controller: :todos) do
     = link_to dashboard_todos_path, title: 'Todos' do
-      .icon-container
-        = icon('bell fw')
       %span
         Todos
         %span.count= number_with_delimiter(todos_pending_count)
   = nav_link(path: 'dashboard#activity') do
     = link_to activity_dashboard_path, class: 'dashboard-shortcuts-activity', title: 'Activity' do
-      .icon-container
-        = navbar_icon('activity')
       %span
         Activity
   = nav_link(controller: [:groups, 'groups/milestones', 'groups/group_members']) do
     = link_to dashboard_groups_path, title: 'Groups' do
-      .icon-container
-        = navbar_icon('group')
       %span
         Groups
   = nav_link(controller: 'dashboard/milestones') do
     = link_to dashboard_milestones_path, title: 'Milestones' do
-      .icon-container
-        = navbar_icon('milestones')
       %span
         Milestones
   = nav_link(path: 'dashboard#issues') do
     = link_to assigned_issues_dashboard_path, title: 'Issues', class: 'dashboard-shortcuts-issues' do
-      .icon-container
-        = navbar_icon('issues')
       %span
         Issues
         %span.count= number_with_delimiter(current_user.assigned_issues.opened.count)
   = nav_link(path: 'dashboard#merge_requests') do
     = link_to assigned_mrs_dashboard_path, title: 'Merge Requests', class: 'dashboard-shortcuts-merge_requests' do
-      .icon-container
-        = navbar_icon('mr')
       %span
         Merge Requests
         %span.count= number_with_delimiter(current_user.assigned_merge_requests.opened.count)
   = nav_link(controller: :snippets) do
     = link_to dashboard_snippets_path, title: 'Snippets' do
-      .icon-container
-        = icon('clipboard fw')
       %span
         Snippets
   = nav_link(controller: :help) do
     = link_to help_path, title: 'Help' do
-      .icon-container
-        = icon('question-circle fw')
       %span
         Help
   = nav_link(html_options: {class: profile_tab_class}) do
     = link_to profile_path, title: 'Profile Settings', data: {placement: 'bottom'} do
-      .icon-container
-        = icon('user fw')
       %span
         Profile Settings