diff --git a/addons/web/static/src/js/data.js b/addons/web/static/src/js/data.js
index 6819634655d..f580d282516 100644
--- a/addons/web/static/src/js/data.js
+++ b/addons/web/static/src/js/data.js
@@ -21,6 +21,17 @@ instance.web.serialize_sort = function (criterion) {
         }).join(', ');
 };
 
+/**
+ * Reverse of the serialize_sort function: convert an array of SQL-like sort 
+ * descriptors into a list of fields prefixed with '-' if necessary.
+ */
+ instance.web.deserialize_sort = function (criterion) {
+    return _.map(criterion, function (criteria) {
+        var split = _.without(criteria.split(' '), '');
+        return (split[1] && split[1].toLowerCase() === 'desc' ? '-' : '') + split[0];
+    });
+};
+
 instance.web.Query = instance.web.Class.extend({
     init: function (model, fields) {
         this._model = model;
@@ -685,6 +696,15 @@ instance.web.DataSet =  instance.web.Class.extend(instance.web.PropertiesMixin,
         this._sort.unshift((reverse ? '-' : '') + field);
         return undefined;
     },
+    /**
+     * Set the sort criteria on the dataset.  
+     *
+     * @param {Array} fields_list: list of fields order descriptors, as used by
+     * Odoo's ORM (such as 'name desc', 'product_id', 'order_date asc')
+     */
+    set_sort: function (fields_list) {
+        this._sort = instance.web.deserialize_sort(fields_list);
+    },
     size: function () {
         return this.ids.length;
     },
diff --git a/addons/web/static/src/js/view_list.js b/addons/web/static/src/js/view_list.js
index 16d0310ab4d..6bea2bbe4ad 100644
--- a/addons/web/static/src/js/view_list.js
+++ b/addons/web/static/src/js/view_list.js
@@ -354,6 +354,12 @@ instance.web.ListView = instance.web.View.extend( /** @lends instance.web.ListVi
             this.sidebar.$el.hide();
         }
         //Sort
+        var default_order = this.fields_view.arch.attrs.default_order,
+            unsorted = !this.dataset._sort.length;
+        if (unsorted && default_order) {
+            this.dataset.set_sort(default_order.split(','));
+        }
+
         if(this.dataset._sort.length){
             if(this.dataset._sort[0].indexOf('-') == -1){
                 this.$el.find('th[data-id=' + this.dataset._sort[0] + ']').addClass("sortdown");
diff --git a/addons/web_kanban/static/src/js/kanban.js b/addons/web_kanban/static/src/js/kanban.js
index 1d97522e011..239a703d276 100644
--- a/addons/web_kanban/static/src/js/kanban.js
+++ b/addons/web_kanban/static/src/js/kanban.js
@@ -62,6 +62,14 @@ instance.web_kanban.KanbanView = instance.web.View.extend({
     },
     load_kanban: function(data) {
         this.fields_view = data;
+
+        // use default order if defined in xml description
+        var default_order = this.fields_view.arch.attrs.default_order,
+            unsorted = !this.dataset._sort.length;
+        if (unsorted && default_order) {
+            this.dataset.set_sort(default_order.split(','));
+        }
+
         this.$el.addClass(this.fields_view.arch.attrs['class']);
         this.$buttons = $(QWeb.render("KanbanView.buttons", {'widget': this}));
         if (this.options.$buttons) {