diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 4ce3e556b5d8..6a0d20bc8f47 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # [`master`](https://github.com/elastic/eui/tree/master)
 
-- `EuiBasicTable` `noItemsMessage` Allow typeof Node ([#516](https://github.com/elastic/eui/pull/516))
+- Change `EuiBasicTable` `noItemsMessage` and `EuiInMemoryTable` `messgae` propType to node
+instead of just string ([#516](https://github.com/elastic/eui/pull/516))
 
 # [`0.0.27`](https://github.com/elastic/eui/tree/v0.0.27)
 
diff --git a/src/components/basic_table/__snapshots__/basic_table.test.js.snap b/src/components/basic_table/__snapshots__/basic_table.test.js.snap
index cebc873ac5a1..2fd6065636d4 100644
--- a/src/components/basic_table/__snapshots__/basic_table.test.js.snap
+++ b/src/components/basic_table/__snapshots__/basic_table.test.js.snap
@@ -23,9 +23,7 @@ exports[`EuiBasicTable basic - empty - custom message 1`] = `
           colSpan={1}
           textOnly={true}
         >
-          <div>
-            where my items at?
-          </div>
+          where my items at?
         </EuiTableRowCell>
       </EuiTableRow>
     </EuiTableBody>
@@ -95,9 +93,7 @@ exports[`EuiBasicTable basic - empty 1`] = `
           colSpan={1}
           textOnly={true}
         >
-          <div>
-            No items found
-          </div>
+          No items found
         </EuiTableRowCell>
       </EuiTableRow>
     </EuiTableBody>
diff --git a/src/components/basic_table/basic_table.js b/src/components/basic_table/basic_table.js
index cb19ae86a2f9..da079c7114d8 100644
--- a/src/components/basic_table/basic_table.js
+++ b/src/components/basic_table/basic_table.js
@@ -120,8 +120,6 @@ export const SelectionType = PropTypes.shape({
   selectableMessage: PropTypes.func // (selectable, item) => boolean;
 });
 
-export const NoItemsMessageType = PropTypes.oneOfType([PropTypes.string, PropTypes.node]);
-
 const SortingType = PropTypes.shape({
   sort: PropertySortType
 });
@@ -135,7 +133,7 @@ const BasicTablePropTypes = {
   onChange: PropTypes.func,
   error: PropTypes.string,
   loading: PropTypes.bool,
-  noItemsMessage: NoItemsMessageType,
+  noItemsMessage: PropTypes.node,
   className: PropTypes.string
 };
 
@@ -422,18 +420,13 @@ export class EuiBasicTable extends Component {
   }
 
   renderEmptyBody() {
-    const colSpan = this.props.columns.length + (this.props.selection ? 1 : 0);
-    let message;
-    if (typeof this.props.noItemsMessage === 'string') {
-      message = (<div>{ this.props.noItemsMessage }</div>);
-    } else {
-      message = this.props.noItemsMessage;
-    }
+    const { columns, selection, noItemsMessage } = this.props;
+    const colSpan = columns.length + (selection ? 1 : 0);
     return (
       <EuiTableBody>
         <EuiTableRow>
           <EuiTableRowCell align="center" colSpan={colSpan}>
-            {message}
+            {noItemsMessage}
           </EuiTableRowCell>
         </EuiTableRow>
       </EuiTableBody>
diff --git a/src/components/basic_table/in_memory_table.js b/src/components/basic_table/in_memory_table.js
index 0a966d671503..ed5bffbfb24f 100644
--- a/src/components/basic_table/in_memory_table.js
+++ b/src/components/basic_table/in_memory_table.js
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import {
   EuiBasicTable,
   ColumnType,
   SelectionType,
-  NoItemsMessageType
 } from './basic_table';
 import {
   defaults as paginationBarDefaults
@@ -23,7 +22,7 @@ const InMemoryTablePropTypes = {
   columns: PropTypes.arrayOf(ColumnType).isRequired,
   items: PropTypes.array,
   loading: PropTypes.bool,
-  message: NoItemsMessageType,
+  message: PropTypes.node,
   error: PropTypes.string,
   search: PropTypes.oneOfType([PropTypes.bool, PropTypes.shape({
     defaultQuery: QueryType,