diff --git a/src/client.cc b/src/client.cc
index fa7b6d38..9da589b5 100644
--- a/src/client.cc
+++ b/src/client.cc
@@ -99,14 +99,12 @@ void Client::print_status(DisplayLine status_line)
 
 DisplayLine Client::generate_mode_line() const
 {
-    Face status_face = get_face("StatusLine");
-
     DisplayLine modeline;
     try
     {
         const String& modelinefmt = context().options()["modelinefmt"].get<String>();
 
-        modeline = parse_display_line(expand(modelinefmt, context()), status_face);
+        modeline = parse_display_line(expand(modelinefmt, context()));
     }
     catch (runtime_error& err)
     {
diff --git a/src/commands.cc b/src/commands.cc
index 0c35cb26..12534798 100644
--- a/src/commands.cc
+++ b/src/commands.cc
@@ -904,7 +904,7 @@ const CommandDesc echo_cmd = {
         if (parser.get_switch("debug"))
             write_to_debug_buffer(message);
         else if (parser.get_switch("markup"))
-            context.print_status(parse_display_line(message, get_face("StatusLine")));
+            context.print_status(parse_display_line(message));
         else
         {
             auto face = get_face(parser.get_switch("color").value_or("StatusLine").str());
diff --git a/src/display_buffer.cc b/src/display_buffer.cc
index 3bf2f1b4..61078657 100644
--- a/src/display_buffer.cc
+++ b/src/display_buffer.cc
@@ -253,13 +253,13 @@ void DisplayBuffer::optimize()
         line.optimize();
 }
 
-DisplayLine parse_display_line(StringView line, Face default_face)
+DisplayLine parse_display_line(StringView line)
 {
     DisplayLine res;
     bool was_antislash = false;
     auto pos = line.begin();
     String content;
-    Face face = default_face;
+    Face face;
     for (auto it = line.begin(), end = line.end(); it != end; ++it)
     {
         const char c = *it;
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ DisplayLine parse_display_line(StringView line, Face default_face)
                 auto closing = std::find(it+1, end, '}');
                 if (closing == end)
                     throw runtime_error("unclosed face definition");
-                face = merge_faces(default_face, get_face({it+1, closing}));
+                face = get_face({it+1, closing});
                 it = closing;
                 pos = closing + 1;
             }
diff --git a/src/display_buffer.hh b/src/display_buffer.hh
index 9670325a..1b852a58 100644
--- a/src/display_buffer.hh
+++ b/src/display_buffer.hh
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ private:
     AtomList  m_atoms;
 };
 
-DisplayLine parse_display_line(StringView line, Face default_face);
+DisplayLine parse_display_line(StringView line);
 
 class DisplayBuffer : public UseMemoryDomain<MemoryDomain::Display>
 {