diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 4a77e853ceb1..1933a3a3ac29 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ No public interface changes since `0.0.27`.
- New icons for `logoGithub` and `logoSketch` ([#494](https://github.com/elastic/eui/pull/494))
- `EuiCard` now has an `href` and `isClickable` prop for better handling hover animations. ([#494](https://github.com/elastic/eui/pull/494))
- Added `calculateContrast` and `rgbToHex` to services ([#494](https://github.com/elastic/eui/pull/494))
+- Add ability to force `EuiSideNav` items open by setting `item.forceOpen`. ([#497](https://github.com/elastic/eui/pull/515))
**Bug fixes**
diff --git a/src-docs/src/views/side_nav/side_nav.js b/src-docs/src/views/side_nav/side_nav.js
index 902b21743836..fce8d11ff5ce 100644
--- a/src-docs/src/views/side_nav/side_nav.js
+++ b/src-docs/src/views/side_nav/side_nav.js
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ export default class extends Component {
name: 'Saved Objects',
id: 3,
onClick: () => { window.alert('Saved Objects'); },
- isSelected: true,
+ isSelected: false,
}, {
name: 'Reporting',
id: 4,
diff --git a/src-docs/src/views/side_nav/side_nav_example.js b/src-docs/src/views/side_nav/side_nav_example.js
index 0496fb5949ac..bbf1e3599a1d 100644
--- a/src-docs/src/views/side_nav/side_nav_example.js
+++ b/src-docs/src/views/side_nav/side_nav_example.js
@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@ import SideNavComplex from './side_nav_complex';
const sideNavComplexSource = require('!!raw-loader!./side_nav_complex');
const sideNavComplexHtml = renderToHtml(SideNavComplex);
+import SideNavForceOpen from './side_nav_force_open';
+const sideNavForceOpenSource = require('!!raw-loader!./side_nav_force_open');
+const sideNavForceOpenHtml = renderToHtml(SideNavForceOpen);
+
export const SideNavExample = {
title: 'Side Nav',
sections: [{
@@ -34,12 +38,12 @@ export const SideNavExample = {
SideNav is a responsive menu system that usually sits on the left side of a page layout.
It will exapand to the width of its container. This is the menu that is used on the left side of the
- page you are looking at.
+ page you are currently looking at.
Configure the content of a SideNav by passing in an items prop.
- Referring to the source code for an example of this data structure’s anatomy.
+ Refer to the source code for an example of this data structure’s anatomy.