diff --git a/src/app/components/stream-header/forms/InlineNewChatForm.tsx b/src/app/components/stream-header/forms/InlineNewChatForm.tsx
index 80110f6c..16f1abd0 100644
--- a/src/app/components/stream-header/forms/InlineNewChatForm.tsx
+++ b/src/app/components/stream-header/forms/InlineNewChatForm.tsx
@@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ type Props = {
   onClose: () => void;
 };
 
-// Thin shell around the shared `CreateChat` form. The legacy
-// `/direct/_create` route renders the same component with a Page/
-// PageHero shell; here we only feed it the `onClose` callback and the
-// tighter `gap='400'` rhythm so the form fits comfortably under the
-// header.
+// Thin shell around the shared `CreateChat` form. This curtain is the
+// canonical native new-chat surface; the `/direct/_create` route renders
+// the same grouped block under a back-chevron PageHeader. Here we only
+// feed it the `onClose` callback and the tighter `gap='400'` rhythm so the
+// form fits comfortably under the header.
 export function InlineNewChatForm({ onClose }: Props) {
   return <CreateChat gap="400" onCreated={onClose} />;
 }
diff --git a/src/app/features/create-chat/CreateChat.tsx b/src/app/features/create-chat/CreateChat.tsx
index dcfe3d1a..10f4c916 100644
--- a/src/app/features/create-chat/CreateChat.tsx
+++ b/src/app/features/create-chat/CreateChat.tsx
@@ -1,22 +1,11 @@
-import {
-  Box,
-  Button,
-  color,
-  config,
-  Icon,
-  Icons,
-  Input,
-  Spinner,
-  Switch,
-  Text,
-  toRem,
-} from 'folds';
+import { Box, Button, color, Icon, Icons, Input, Spinner, Switch, Text, toRem } from 'folds';
 import React, { FormEventHandler, useCallback, useState } from 'react';
 import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next';
 import { ICreateRoomStateEvent, MatrixError, Preset, Visibility } from 'matrix-js-sdk';
 import { useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom';
 import { SettingTile } from '../../components/setting-tile';
-import { SequenceCard } from '../../components/sequence-card';
+import { SettingsSection } from '../settings/SettingsSection';
+import { Mono, SectionLabel } from '../settings/styles.css';
 import {
   addRoomIdToMDirect,
   getDMRoomFor,
@@ -136,17 +125,25 @@ export function CreateChat({ defaultUserId, onCreated, gap = '500' }: CreateChat
 
   return (
     <Box as="form" onSubmit={handleSubmit} grow="Yes" direction="Column" gap={gap}>
-      <Box direction="Column" gap="100">
+      <Box direction="Column" gap="200">
+        <Text as="span" className={SectionLabel}>
+          {t('Direct.address')}
+        </Text>
         <Box direction="Row" wrap="Wrap" gap="200">
           <Box grow="Yes" style={{ minWidth: toRem(120) }} direction="Column" gap="100">
-            <Text size="L400">{t('Direct.username')}</Text>
             <Input
               defaultValue={defaultUsername}
               placeholder={t('Direct.username_placeholder')}
               name="usernameInput"
-              variant="SurfaceVariant"
+              variant="Background"
               size="500"
               radii="400"
+              outlined
+              before={
+                <Text as="span" size="B500" className={Mono} style={{ opacity: 0.5 }}>
+                  @
+                </Text>
+              }
               required
               autoFocus
               autoComplete="off"
@@ -154,16 +151,17 @@ export function CreateChat({ defaultUserId, onCreated, gap = '500' }: CreateChat
             />
           </Box>
           <Box shrink="No" style={{ minWidth: toRem(150) }} direction="Column" gap="100">
-            <Text size="L400">{t('Direct.server')}</Text>
             <Input
               defaultValue={
                 defaultServer && defaultServer !== userServer ? defaultServer : undefined
               }
               placeholder={userServer}
               name="serverInput"
-              variant="SurfaceVariant"
+              variant="Background"
               size="500"
               radii="400"
+              outlined
+              className={Mono}
               autoComplete="off"
               disabled={disabled}
             />
@@ -171,50 +169,40 @@ export function CreateChat({ defaultUserId, onCreated, gap = '500' }: CreateChat
         </Box>
         {invalidUserId && (
           <Box style={{ color: color.Critical.Main }} alignItems="Center" gap="100">
-            <Icon src={Icons.Warning} filled size="50" />
+            <Icon src={Icons.Warning} size="50" />
             <Text size="T200" style={{ color: color.Critical.Main }}>
-              <b>{t('Direct.invalid_user_id')}</b>
+              {t('Direct.invalid_user_id')}
             </Text>
           </Box>
         )}
       </Box>
-      <Box shrink="No" direction="Column" gap="100">
-        <Text size="L400">{t('Direct.options')}</Text>
-        <SequenceCard
-          style={{ padding: config.space.S300 }}
-          variant="SurfaceVariant"
-          direction="Column"
-          gap="500"
-        >
-          <SettingTile
-            title={t('Direct.e2e_encryption')}
-            description={t('Direct.e2e_encryption_desc')}
-            after={
-              <Switch
-                variant="Primary"
-                value={encryption}
-                onChange={setEncryption}
-                disabled={disabled}
-              />
-            }
-          />
-        </SequenceCard>
-      </Box>
+      <SettingsSection label={t('Direct.options')}>
+        <SettingTile
+          title={t('Direct.e2e_encryption')}
+          description={t('Direct.e2e_encryption_desc')}
+          after={
+            <Switch
+              variant="Primary"
+              value={encryption}
+              onChange={setEncryption}
+              disabled={disabled}
+            />
+          }
+        />
+      </SettingsSection>
       {error && (
         <Box style={{ color: color.Critical.Main }} alignItems="Center" gap="200">
-          <Icon src={Icons.Warning} filled size="100" />
+          <Icon src={Icons.Warning} size="100" />
           <Text size="T300" style={{ color: color.Critical.Main }}>
-            <b>
-              {(() => {
-                if (error instanceof MatrixError && error.name === ErrorCode.M_LIMIT_EXCEEDED) {
-                  const ra = error.data?.retry_after_ms;
-                  return t('Direct.rate_limited', {
-                    minutes: millisecondsToMinutes(typeof ra === 'number' ? ra : 0),
-                  });
-                }
-                return error.message;
-              })()}
-            </b>
+            {(() => {
+              if (error instanceof MatrixError && error.name === ErrorCode.M_LIMIT_EXCEEDED) {
+                const ra = error.data?.retry_after_ms;
+                return t('Direct.rate_limited', {
+                  minutes: millisecondsToMinutes(typeof ra === 'number' ? ra : 0),
+                });
+              }
+              return error.message;
+            })()}
           </Text>
         </Box>
       )}
diff --git a/src/app/pages/client/direct/DirectCreate.tsx b/src/app/pages/client/direct/DirectCreate.tsx
index 1d367bfe..60a02454 100644
--- a/src/app/pages/client/direct/DirectCreate.tsx
+++ b/src/app/pages/client/direct/DirectCreate.tsx
@@ -7,24 +7,13 @@ import { getDirectCreateSearchParams } from '../../pathSearchParam';
 import { getDirectRoomPath } from '../../pathUtils';
 import { getDMRoomFor } from '../../../utils/matrix';
 import { useDirectRooms } from './useDirectRooms';
-import { ScreenSize, useScreenSizeContext } from '../../../hooks/useScreenSize';
-import {
-  Page,
-  PageContent,
-  PageContentCenter,
-  PageHeader,
-  PageHero,
-  PageHeroSection,
-} from '../../../components/page';
+import { Page, PageContent, PageContentCenter, PageHeader } from '../../../components/page';
 import { BackRouteHandler } from '../../../components/BackRouteHandler';
 import { CreateChat } from '../../../features/create-chat';
-import { isNativePlatform } from '../../../utils/capacitor';
 
 export function DirectCreate() {
   const { t } = useTranslation();
   const mx = useMatrixClient();
-  const screenSize = useScreenSizeContext();
-  const native = isNativePlatform();
 
   const navigate = useNavigate();
   const [searchParams] = useSearchParams();
@@ -41,64 +30,33 @@ export function DirectCreate() {
     }
   }, [mx, navigate, directs, userId]);
 
-  // Native phone (Capacitor + Mobile screen): compact layout — title goes into
-  // the back-arrow header, form sits directly below with light padding, no
-  // oversized hero whitespace. The on-screen keyboard otherwise pushed the
-  // centered hero layout into a visibly long scrollable area. Native tablets,
-  // desktop, and web (any size) keep the original hero-section layout.
-  if (native && screenSize === ScreenSize.Mobile) {
-    return (
-      <Page>
-        <PageHeader balance outlined={false}>
-          <Box grow="Yes" alignItems="Center" gap="200">
-            <BackRouteHandler>
-              {(onBack) => (
-                <IconButton onClick={onBack}>
-                  <Icon src={Icons.ArrowLeft} />
-                </IconButton>
-              )}
-            </BackRouteHandler>
-            <Text size="H4" truncate>
-              {t('Direct.create_chat')}
-            </Text>
-          </Box>
-        </PageHeader>
-        <Box grow="Yes">
-          <Scroll size="0" hideTrack visibility="Hover">
-            <Box style={{ padding: config.space.S400 }}>
-              <CreateChat defaultUserId={userId} />
-            </Box>
-          </Scroll>
-        </Box>
-      </Page>
-    );
-  }
-
+  // One Dawn layout for every size: a left-aligned back-chevron header over the
+  // grouped CreateChat block in a padded Scroll. No centered hero — the curtain
+  // (InlineNewChatForm) is the canonical native new-chat surface, and the
+  // keyboard no longer fights an oversized hero on short native viewports.
   return (
     <Page>
-      {screenSize === ScreenSize.Mobile && (
-        <PageHeader balance outlined={false}>
-          <Box grow="Yes" alignItems="Center" gap="200">
-            <BackRouteHandler>
-              {(onBack) => (
-                <IconButton onClick={onBack}>
-                  <Icon src={Icons.ArrowLeft} />
-                </IconButton>
-              )}
-            </BackRouteHandler>
-          </Box>
-        </PageHeader>
-      )}
+      <PageHeader balance outlined={false}>
+        <Box grow="Yes" alignItems="Center" gap="200">
+          <BackRouteHandler>
+            {(onBack) => (
+              <IconButton onClick={onBack}>
+                <Icon src={Icons.ArrowLeft} />
+              </IconButton>
+            )}
+          </BackRouteHandler>
+          <Text size="H4" truncate>
+            {t('Direct.create_chat')}
+          </Text>
+        </Box>
+      </PageHeader>
       <Box grow="Yes">
         <Scroll hideTrack visibility="Hover">
           <PageContent>
             <PageContentCenter>
-              <PageHeroSection>
-                <Box direction="Column" gap="700">
-                  <PageHero title={t('Direct.create_chat')} />
-                  <CreateChat defaultUserId={userId} />
-                </Box>
-              </PageHeroSection>
+              <Box style={{ paddingTop: config.space.S200 }}>
+                <CreateChat defaultUserId={userId} />
+              </Box>
             </PageContentCenter>
           </PageContent>
         </Scroll>