diff --git a/src/app/features/settings/general/General.tsx b/src/app/features/settings/general/General.tsx
index 04e2728b..fb8b8281 100644
--- a/src/app/features/settings/general/General.tsx
+++ b/src/app/features/settings/general/General.tsx
@@ -301,6 +301,7 @@ function PageZoomInput() {
 function Appearance() {
   const [systemTheme, setSystemTheme] = useSetting(settingsAtom, 'useSystemTheme');
   const [twitterEmoji, setTwitterEmoji] = useSetting(settingsAtom, 'twitterEmoji');
+  const [roomAvatars, setRoomAvatars] = useSetting(settingsAtom, 'roomAvatars');
 
   return (
     <Box direction="Column" gap="100">
@@ -337,6 +338,13 @@ function Appearance() {
       <SequenceCard className={SequenceCardStyle} variant="SurfaceVariant" direction="Column">
         <SettingTile title="Page Zoom" after={<PageZoomInput />} />
       </SequenceCard>
+
+      <SequenceCard className={SequenceCardStyle} variant="SurfaceVariant" direction="Column">
+        <SettingTile
+          title="Show room avatars"
+          after={<Switch variant="Primary" value={roomAvatars} onChange={setRoomAvatars} />}
+        />
+      </SequenceCard>
     </Box>
   );
 }
diff --git a/src/app/pages/client/space/Space.tsx b/src/app/pages/client/space/Space.tsx
index fa8c0ea8..2ae19250 100644
--- a/src/app/pages/client/space/Space.tsx
+++ b/src/app/pages/client/space/Space.tsx
@@ -326,6 +326,8 @@ export function Space() {
   const getToLink = (roomId: string) =>
     getSpaceRoomPath(spaceIdOrAlias, getCanonicalAliasOrRoomId(mx, roomId));
 
+  const [roomAvatars] = useSetting(settingsAtom, 'roomAvatars');
+
   return (
     <PageNav>
       <SpaceHeader />
@@ -405,7 +407,7 @@ export function Space() {
                   <RoomNavItem
                     room={room}
                     selected={selectedRoomId === roomId}
-                    showAvatar={mDirects.has(roomId)}
+                    showAvatar={mDirects.has(roomId) || roomAvatars}
                     direct={mDirects.has(roomId)}
                     linkPath={getToLink(roomId)}
                     notificationMode={getRoomNotificationMode(notificationPreferences, room.roomId)}
diff --git a/src/app/state/settings.ts b/src/app/state/settings.ts
index 799747ac..7bd5185f 100644
--- a/src/app/state/settings.ts
+++ b/src/app/state/settings.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ export interface Settings {
   isMarkdown: boolean;
   editorToolbar: boolean;
   twitterEmoji: boolean;
+  roomAvatars: boolean;
   pageZoom: number;
   hideActivity: boolean;
 
@@ -46,6 +47,7 @@ const defaultSettings: Settings = {
   isMarkdown: true,
   editorToolbar: false,
   twitterEmoji: false,
+  roomAvatars: false,
   pageZoom: 100,
   hideActivity: false,