diff --git a/lib/awful/widget/common.lua.in b/lib/awful/widget/common.lua.in
index 70e75c062..801ddc422 100644
--- a/lib/awful/widget/common.lua.in
+++ b/lib/awful/widget/common.lua.in
@@ -52,14 +52,9 @@ function common.list_update(w, buttons, label, data, objects)
         local ib = wibox.widget.imagebox()
         local tb = wibox.widget.textbox()
         local bgb = wibox.widget.background()
-        local m = wibox.layout.margin()
+        local m = wibox.layout.margin(tb, 4, 4)
         local l = wibox.layout.fixed.horizontal()
 
-        -- The textbox gets a margin to look better
-        m:set_left(4)
-        m:set_right(4)
-        m:set_widget(tb)
-
         -- All of this is added in a fixed widget
         l:fill_space(true)
         l:add(ib)
diff --git a/lib/naughty.lua.in b/lib/naughty.lua.in
index a766cff6a..144d953e1 100644
--- a/lib/naughty.lua.in
+++ b/lib/naughty.lua.in
@@ -383,9 +383,7 @@ function notify(args)
         -- if we have an icon, use it
         if icon then
             iconbox = wibox.widget.imagebox()
-            iconmargin = wibox.layout.margin()
-            iconmargin:set_widget(iconbox)
-            iconmargin:set_margins(margin)
+            iconmargin = wibox.layout.margin(iconbox, margin, margin, margin, margin)
             local img = icon
             if type(icon) == "string" then
                 img = capi.oocairo.image_surface_create_from_png(icon)
diff --git a/lib/wibox/layout/margin.lua.in b/lib/wibox/layout/margin.lua.in
index 1b2800108..c0655eae0 100644
--- a/lib/wibox/layout/margin.lua.in
+++ b/lib/wibox/layout/margin.lua.in
@@ -99,8 +99,11 @@ end
 
 --- Returns a new margin layout.
 -- @param widget A widget to use (optional)
--- @param margin A margin to use on every side of the widget (optional)
-local function new(widget, margin)
+-- @param left A margin to use on the left side of the widget (optional)
+-- @param right A margin to use on the right side of the widget (optional)
+-- @param top A margin to use on the top side of the widget (optional)
+-- @param bottom A margin to use on the bottom side of the widget (optional)
+local function new(widget, left, right, top, bottom)
     local ret = widget_base.make_widget()
 
     for k, v in pairs(_M) do
@@ -113,7 +116,10 @@ local function new(widget, margin)
         ret:emit_signal("widget::updated")
     end
 
-    ret:set_margins(margin or 0)
+    ret:set_left(left or 0)
+    ret:set_right(right or 0)
+    ret:set_top(top or 0)
+    ret:set_bottom(bottom or 0)
 
     if widget then
         ret:set_widget(widget)