diff --git a/lib/log4js.js b/lib/log4js.js
index c5424db..85b6714 100644
--- a/lib/log4js.js
+++ b/lib/log4js.js
@@ -56,14 +56,14 @@ module.exports = function (fileSystem, standardOutput, configPaths) {
     loggers = {},
     appenders = {},
     levels = {
-	ALL: new Level(Number.MIN_VALUE, "ALL"),
-	TRACE: new Level(5000, "TRACE"),
-	DEBUG: new Level(10000, "DEBUG"),
-	INFO: new Level(20000, "INFO"),
-	WARN: new Level(30000, "WARN"),
-	ERROR: new Level(40000, "ERROR"),
-	FATAL: new Level(50000, "FATAL"),
-	OFF: new Level(Number.MAX_VALUE, "OFF")  
+	ALL: new Level(Number.MIN_VALUE, "ALL", "grey"),
+	TRACE: new Level(5000, "TRACE", "blue"),
+	DEBUG: new Level(10000, "DEBUG", "cyan"),
+	INFO: new Level(20000, "INFO", "green"),
+	WARN: new Level(30000, "WARN", "yellow"),
+	ERROR: new Level(40000, "ERROR", "red"),
+	FATAL: new Level(50000, "FATAL", "magenta"),
+	OFF: new Level(Number.MAX_VALUE, "OFF", "grey")  
     },
     appenderMakers = {
 	"file": function(config) {
@@ -226,9 +226,10 @@ module.exports = function (fileSystem, standardOutput, configPaths) {
 	}
     } 
 
-    function Level(level, levelStr) {
+    function Level(level, levelStr, colour) {
 	this.level = level;
 	this.levelStr = levelStr;
+        this.colour = colour;
     }
 
     /** 
@@ -334,7 +335,7 @@ module.exports = function (fileSystem, standardOutput, configPaths) {
     }
 
     function consoleAppender (layout) {
-	layout = layout || basicLayout;
+	layout = layout || colouredLayout;
 	return function(loggingEvent) {
 	    standardOutput(layout(loggingEvent));
 	};  
@@ -394,6 +395,57 @@ module.exports = function (fileSystem, standardOutput, configPaths) {
 	return output;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Taken from masylum's fork (https://github.com/masylum/log4js-node)
+     */
+    function colorize (str, style) {
+        var styles = {
+            //styles
+            'bold'      : [1,  22],
+            'italic'    : [3,  23],
+            'underline' : [4,  24],
+            'inverse'   : [7,  27],
+            //grayscale
+            'white'     : [37, 39],
+            'grey'      : [90, 39],
+            'black'     : [90, 39],
+            //colors
+            'blue'      : [34, 39],
+            'cyan'      : [36, 39],
+            'green'     : [32, 39],
+            'magenta'   : [35, 39],
+            'red'       : [31, 39],
+            'yellow'    : [33, 39]
+        };
+        return '\033[' + styles[style][0] + 'm' + str +
+            '\033[' + styles[style][1] + 'm';
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * colouredLayout - taken from masylum's fork.
+     * same as basicLayout, but with colours.
+     */
+    function colouredLayout (loggingEvent) {
+        var timestampLevelAndCategory = colorize('[' + loggingEvent.startTime.toFormattedString() + '] ', 'grey');
+        timestampLevelAndCategory += colorize(
+            '[' + loggingEvent.level.toString() + '] ', loggingEvent.level.colour
+        );
+        timestampLevelAndCategory += colorize(loggingEvent.categoryName + ' - ', 'grey');
+
+        var output = timestampLevelAndCategory + loggingEvent.message;
+
+        if (loggingEvent.exception) {
+            output += '\n'
+            output += timestampLevelAndCategory;
+            if (loggingEvent.exception.stack) {
+                output += loggingEvent.exception.stack;
+            } else {
+                output += loggingEvent.exception.name + ': '+loggingEvent.exception.message;
+            }
+        }
+        return output;
+    }
+
     function messagePassThroughLayout (loggingEvent) {
 	return loggingEvent.message;
     }
@@ -533,7 +585,9 @@ module.exports = function (fileSystem, standardOutput, configPaths) {
 	
 	basicLayout: basicLayout,
 	messagePassThroughLayout: messagePassThroughLayout,
-	patternLayout: patternLayout
+	patternLayout: patternLayout,
+        colouredLayout: colouredLayout,
+        coloredLayout: colouredLayout
     };
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/log4js.json b/lib/log4js.json
index fdd836f..6c2998c 100644
--- a/lib/log4js.json
+++ b/lib/log4js.json
@@ -1,10 +1,7 @@
 {
   "appenders": [
     {
-      "type": "console",
-      "layout": {
-        "type": "basic"
-      }
+      "type": "console"
     }
   ]
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/logging.js b/test/logging.js
index fc9e471..215c73e 100644
--- a/test/logging.js
+++ b/test/logging.js
@@ -188,7 +188,24 @@ vows.describe('log4js').addBatch({
             var message = args[1];
             assert.equal(message, 'this is a test');
         }
+    },
+    
+    'colouredLayout': {
+        topic: function() {
+            return require('../lib/log4js')().colouredLayout;
+        },
+
+        'should apply level colour codes to output': function(layout) {
+            var output = layout({ 
+                message: "nonsense", 
+                startTime: new Date(2010, 11, 5, 14, 18, 30, 45), 
+                categoryName: "cheese", 
+                level: { 
+                    colour: "green", 
+                    toString: function() { return "ERROR"; } 
+                }
+            });
+            assert.equal(output, '\033[90m[2010-12-05 14:18:30.045] \033[39m\033[32m[ERROR] \033[39m\033[90mcheese - \033[39mnonsense');
+        }
     }
-                                                             
- 
 }).export(module);