diff --git a/craft/src/panels/right/GuidedStyles.tsx b/craft/src/panels/right/GuidedStyles.tsx
index 7a09988..b0087b9 100644
--- a/craft/src/panels/right/GuidedStyles.tsx
+++ b/craft/src/panels/right/GuidedStyles.tsx
@@ -30,7 +30,12 @@ import {
    Main GuidedStyles component
    ================================================================ */
 
-export const GuidedStyles: React.FC = () => {
+export const GuidedStyles: React.FC<{
+  /** What to render with nothing selected: the Site Design panel (default,
+   *  used by the mobile sheet) or a placeholder (desktop RightPanel, which
+   *  has a dedicated Site tab). */
+  emptyFallback?: 'site' | 'placeholder';
+}> = ({ emptyFallback = 'site' }) => {
   const { open: openSitesmith } = useSitesmithModal();
   const { query } = useEditor();
 
@@ -57,6 +62,16 @@ export const GuidedStyles: React.FC = () => {
   });
 
   if (!selected) {
+    if (emptyFallback === 'placeholder') {
+      return (
+        <div className="right-panel-placeholder" data-testid="element-placeholder">
+          <p>Select something on the canvas to style it.</p>
+          <p className="right-panel-placeholder-hint">
+            Looking for site colours, fonts or favicon? Open the Site tab.
+          </p>
+        </div>
+      );
+    }
     return <SiteDesignPanel />;
   }
 
diff --git a/craft/src/panels/right/RightPanel.test.tsx b/craft/src/panels/right/RightPanel.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b4a0b6c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/craft/src/panels/right/RightPanel.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+import { describe, test, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest';
+import React from 'react';
+import { renderEditorHarness } from '../../test-utils/editorHarness';
+import { SiteDesignProvider } from '../../state/SiteDesignContext';
+import { PageProvider } from '../../state/PageContext';
+import { SitesmithProvider } from '../../state/SitesmithContext';
+import { Heading } from '../../components/basic/Heading';
+import { getPref, setPref } from '../../utils/local-prefs';
+import { RightPanel } from './RightPanel';
+
+function mount() {
+  const h = renderEditorHarness();
+  h.mountChild(
+    <PageProvider>
+      <SiteDesignProvider>
+        <SitesmithProvider>
+          <RightPanel />
+        </SitesmithProvider>
+      </SiteDesignProvider>
+    </PageProvider>,
+  );
+  return h;
+}
+
+const tab = (h: ReturnType<typeof mount>, name: string) =>
+  Array.from(h.container.querySelectorAll('[role="tab"]')).find(
+    (t) => t.textContent === name,
+  ) as HTMLButtonElement;
+
+const addHeading = (h: ReturnType<typeof mount>): string => {
+  let id = '';
+  h.act(() => {
+    const tree = h.query.parseReactElement(<Heading />).toNodeTree();
+    h.actions.addNodeTree(tree, 'ROOT');
+    id = tree.rootNodeId;
+  });
+  return id;
+};
+
+describe('RightPanel tabs', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => window.localStorage.clear());
+
+  test('nothing selected: Element shows placeholder, Site shows Site Design', () => {
+    const h = mount();
+    expect(h.container.querySelectorAll('[role="tablist"] [role="tab"]')).toHaveLength(2);
+    expect(tab(h, 'Element').getAttribute('aria-selected')).toBe('true');
+    expect(h.container.querySelector('[data-testid="element-placeholder"]')).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(h.container.textContent).not.toContain('Primary Color');
+
+    h.act(() => tab(h, 'Site').click());
+    expect(tab(h, 'Site').getAttribute('aria-selected')).toBe('true');
+    expect(h.container.querySelector('[data-testid="element-placeholder"]')).toBeNull();
+    expect(h.container.textContent).toContain('Primary');
+    h.unmount();
+  });
+
+  test('selecting a Heading with Element active shows the Text panel', () => {
+    const h = mount();
+    const id = addHeading(h);
+    h.act(() => h.actions.selectNode(id));
+    expect(h.container.querySelector('[data-testid="element-placeholder"]')).toBeNull();
+    expect(h.container.textContent).toContain('Text Color');
+    expect(h.container.textContent).not.toContain('Primary Color');
+    h.unmount();
+  });
+
+  test('switching to Site while a node is selected still shows Site Design, and stays on a later selection', () => {
+    const h = mount();
+    const id = addHeading(h);
+    h.act(() => h.actions.selectNode(id));
+    h.act(() => tab(h, 'Site').click());
+    expect(h.container.textContent).toContain('Primary');
+    expect(h.container.textContent).not.toContain('Text Color');
+
+    h.act(() => h.actions.selectNode(undefined));
+    h.act(() => h.actions.selectNode(id));
+    expect(tab(h, 'Site').getAttribute('aria-selected')).toBe('true');
+    h.unmount();
+  });
+
+  test('auto-switches Site -> Element on empty->selected when Site came from the saved pref only', () => {
+    setPref('rightPanelTab', 'site');
+    const h = mount();
+    expect(tab(h, 'Site').getAttribute('aria-selected')).toBe('true');
+    const id = addHeading(h);
+    h.act(() => h.actions.selectNode(id));
+    expect(tab(h, 'Element').getAttribute('aria-selected')).toBe('true');
+    h.unmount();
+  });
+
+  test('deselecting keeps the active tab', () => {
+    const h = mount();
+    const id = addHeading(h);
+    h.act(() => h.actions.selectNode(id));
+    h.act(() => h.actions.selectNode(undefined));
+    expect(tab(h, 'Element').getAttribute('aria-selected')).toBe('true');
+    expect(h.container.querySelector('[data-testid="element-placeholder"]')).not.toBeNull();
+    h.unmount();
+  });
+
+  test('pref round-trips', () => {
+    const h = mount();
+    h.act(() => tab(h, 'Site').click());
+    expect(getPref('rightPanelTab', 'element')).toBe('site');
+    h.unmount();
+
+    const h2 = mount();
+    expect(tab(h2, 'Site').getAttribute('aria-selected')).toBe('true');
+    h2.act(() => tab(h2, 'Element').click());
+    expect(getPref('rightPanelTab', 'x')).toBe('element');
+    h2.unmount();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/craft/src/panels/right/RightPanel.tsx b/craft/src/panels/right/RightPanel.tsx
index 6c3216a..973dfbe 100644
--- a/craft/src/panels/right/RightPanel.tsx
+++ b/craft/src/panels/right/RightPanel.tsx
@@ -1,18 +1,77 @@
-import React from 'react';
+import React, { useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
+import { useEditor } from '@craftjs/core';
 import { GuidedStyles } from './GuidedStyles';
+import { SiteDesignPanel } from './SiteDesignPanel';
+import { getPref, setPref } from '../../utils/local-prefs';
+
+type RightTab = 'element' | 'site';
+
+const PREF_KEY = 'rightPanelTab';
 
 /**
- * Right panel -- shows component settings when an element is selected,
- * or Site Design Tokens (including Head code) when nothing is selected.
+ * Right panel -- two tabs: "Element" (GuidedStyles for the selection) and
+ * "Site" (Site Design tokens). Site is always one click away, so reaching
+ * site colours no longer requires deselecting everything.
  */
 export const RightPanel: React.FC = () => {
+  const { hasSelection } = useEditor((state) => ({
+    hasSelection: !!state.events.selected && state.events.selected.size > 0,
+  }));
+
+  const [activeTab, setActiveTab] = useState<RightTab>(() =>
+    getPref<string>(PREF_KEY, 'element') === 'site' ? 'site' : 'element',
+  );
+  // True once the user has clicked the Site tab this session; from then on a
+  // new selection no longer yanks them back to Element.
+  const pickedSite = useRef(false);
+  const hadSelection = useRef(hasSelection);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (hasSelection && !hadSelection.current && !pickedSite.current) {
+      setActiveTab('element');
+    }
+    hadSelection.current = hasSelection;
+  }, [hasSelection]);
+
+  const pick = (tab: RightTab) => {
+    if (tab === 'site') pickedSite.current = true;
+    setActiveTab(tab);
+    setPref(PREF_KEY, tab);
+  };
+
   return (
     <div className="panel-right">
-      <div className="panel-tabs">
-        <button className="panel-tab active">Styles</button>
+      <div className="panel-tabs" role="tablist" aria-label="Right panel">
+        <button
+          type="button"
+          role="tab"
+          id="right-tab-element"
+          aria-selected={activeTab === 'element'}
+          aria-controls="right-tabpanel"
+          className={`panel-tab${activeTab === 'element' ? ' active' : ''}`}
+          onClick={() => pick('element')}
+        >
+          Element
+        </button>
+        <button
+          type="button"
+          role="tab"
+          id="right-tab-site"
+          aria-selected={activeTab === 'site'}
+          aria-controls="right-tabpanel"
+          className={`panel-tab${activeTab === 'site' ? ' active' : ''}`}
+          onClick={() => pick('site')}
+        >
+          Site
+        </button>
       </div>
-      <div className="panel-content">
-        <GuidedStyles />
+      <div
+        className="panel-content"
+        role="tabpanel"
+        id="right-tabpanel"
+        aria-labelledby={activeTab === 'site' ? 'right-tab-site' : 'right-tab-element'}
+      >
+        {activeTab === 'site' ? <SiteDesignPanel /> : <GuidedStyles emptyFallback="placeholder" />}
       </div>
     </div>
   );
diff --git a/craft/src/styles/editor.css b/craft/src/styles/editor.css
index adf849c..4c44d3c 100644
--- a/craft/src/styles/editor.css
+++ b/craft/src/styles/editor.css
@@ -2184,3 +2184,21 @@ body {
     bottom: calc(var(--mobile-tabbar-height) + env(safe-area-inset-bottom, 0px) + 12px);
   }
 }
+
+/* #36 right panel tabs */
+.right-panel-placeholder {
+  padding: 24px 12px;
+  text-align: center;
+  color: var(--color-text-muted);
+  font-size: 13px;
+  line-height: 1.5;
+}
+
+.right-panel-placeholder p {
+  margin: 0 0 8px;
+}
+
+.right-panel-placeholder-hint {
+  font-size: 12px;
+  opacity: 0.8;
+}