diff --git a/lib/layouts.js b/lib/layouts.js
index 1b233ea..320d12c 100644
--- a/lib/layouts.js
+++ b/lib/layouts.js
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ var dateFormat = require('./date_format')
     , OFF: "grey"
   };
 
-
 function formatLogData(logData) {
     var output = ""
       , data = Array.isArray(logData) ? logData.slice() : Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments)
@@ -58,30 +57,36 @@ function formatLogData(logData) {
     return output;
 }
 
+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]
+};
+
+function colorizeStart(style) {
+  return style ? '\033[' + styles[style][0] + 'm' : '';
+}
+function colorizeEnd(style) {
+  return style ? '\033[' + styles[style][1] + 'm' : '';
+}
 /**
  * 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 style ? '\033[' + styles[style][0] + 'm' + str +
-        '\033[' + styles[style][1] + 'm' : str;
+    return colorizeStart(style) + str + colorizeEnd(style);
 }
 
 function timestampLevelAndCategory(loggingEvent, colour) {
@@ -134,12 +139,13 @@ function messagePassThroughLayout (loggingEvent) {
  *  - %d date in various formats
  *  - %% %
  *  - %n newline
+ * You can use %[ and %] to define a colored block.
  * Takes a pattern string and returns a layout function.
  * @author Stephan Strittmatter
  */
 function patternLayout (pattern) {
     var TTCC_CONVERSION_PATTERN  = "%r %p %c - %m%n";
-    var regex = /%(-?[0-9]+)?(\.?[0-9]+)?([cdmnpr%])(\{([^\}]+)\})?|([^%]+)/;
+    var regex = /%(-?[0-9]+)?(\.?[0-9]+)?([\[\]cdmnpr%])(\{([^\}]+)\})?|([^%]+)/;
 
     pattern = pattern || TTCC_CONVERSION_PATTERN;
 
@@ -206,6 +212,12 @@ function patternLayout (pattern) {
 		case "r":
 		    replacement = "" + loggingEvent.startTime.toLocaleTimeString();
 		    break;
+		case "[":
+		    replacement = colorizeStart(colours[loggingEvent.level.toString()]);
+		    break;
+		case "]":
+		    replacement = colorizeEnd(colours[loggingEvent.level.toString()]);
+		    break;
 		case "%":
 		    replacement = "%";
 		    break;
@@ -248,7 +260,6 @@ function patternLayout (pattern) {
 
 };
 
-
 module.exports = {
     basicLayout: basicLayout
   , messagePassThroughLayout: messagePassThroughLayout
diff --git a/test/layouts-test.js b/test/layouts-test.js
index 115e976..105fd1c 100644
--- a/test/layouts-test.js
+++ b/test/layouts-test.js
@@ -243,9 +243,9 @@ vows.describe('log4js layouts').addBatch({
             test(args, '%-6p', 'DEBUG ');
             test(args, '%-8p', 'DEBUG   ');
             test(args, '%-10p', 'DEBUG     ');
+        },
+        '%[%r%] should output colored time': function(args) {
+            test(args, '%[%r%]', '\033[36m14:18:30\033[39m');
         }
-
     }
-
 }).export(module);
-