diff --git a/config.def.h b/config.def.h
index 877afab..7305ec9 100644
--- a/config.def.h
+++ b/config.def.h
@@ -84,42 +84,54 @@ static unsigned int tabspaces = 8;
 
 /* Terminal colors (16 first used in escape sequence) */
 const char *colorname[] = {
-	/* 8 normal colors */
-	"black",
-	"red3",
-	"green3",
-	"yellow3",
-	"blue2",
-	"magenta3",
-	"cyan3",
-	"gray90",
-
-	/* 8 bright colors */
-	"gray50",
-	"red",
-	"green",
-	"yellow",
-	"#5c5cff",
-	"magenta",
-	"cyan",
-	"white",
-
-	[255] = 0,
-
-	/* more colors can be added after 255 to use with DefaultXX */
-	"#cccccc",
-	"#555555",
+	/* solarized dark */
+	"#073642",  /*  0: black    */
+	"#dc322f",  /*  1: red      */
+	"#859900",  /*  2: green    */
+	"#b58900",  /*  3: yellow   */
+	"#268bd2",  /*  4: blue     */
+	"#d33682",  /*  5: magenta  */
+	"#2aa198",  /*  6: cyan     */
+	"#eee8d5",  /*  7: white    */
+	"#002b36",  /*  8: brblack  */
+	"#cb4b16",  /*  9: brred    */
+	"#586e75",  /* 10: brgreen  */
+	"#657b83",  /* 11: bryellow */
+	"#839496",  /* 12: brblue   */
+	"#6c71c4",  /* 13: brmagenta*/
+	"#93a1a1",  /* 14: brcyan   */
+	"#fdf6e3",  /* 15: brwhite  */
 };
-
+ 
+/* Terminal colors for alternate (light) palette */
+const char *altcolorname[] = {
+	/* solarized light */
+	"#eee8d5",  /*  0: black    */
+	"#dc322f",  /*  1: red      */
+	"#859900",  /*  2: green    */
+	"#b58900",  /*  3: yellow   */
+	"#268bd2",  /*  4: blue     */
+	"#d33682",  /*  5: magenta  */
+	"#2aa198",  /*  6: cyan     */
+	"#073642",  /*  7: white    */
+	"#fdf6e3",  /*  8: brblack  */
+	"#cb4b16",  /*  9: brred    */
+	"#93a1a1",  /* 10: brgreen  */
+	"#839496",  /* 11: bryellow */
+	"#657b83",  /* 12: brblue   */
+	"#6c71c4",  /* 13: brmagenta*/
+	"#586e75",  /* 14: brcyan   */
+	"#002b36",  /* 15: brwhite  */
+ };
 
 /*
  * Default colors (colorname index)
  * foreground, background, cursor, reverse cursor
  */
-unsigned int defaultfg = 7;
-unsigned int defaultbg = 0;
-unsigned int defaultcs = 256;
-unsigned int defaultrcs = 257;
+unsigned int defaultfg = 12;
+unsigned int defaultbg = 8;
+unsigned int defaultcs = 14;
+unsigned int defaultrcs = 15;
 
 /*
  * Default shape of cursor
@@ -178,6 +190,7 @@ Shortcut shortcuts[] = {
 	{ TERMMOD,              XK_Y,           selpaste,       {.i =  0} },
 	{ TERMMOD,              XK_Num_Lock,    numlock,        {.i =  0} },
 	{ TERMMOD,              XK_I,           iso14755,       {.i =  0} },
+	{ XK_ANY_MOD,           XK_F6,          swapcolors,     {.i =  0} },
 };
 
 /*
diff --git a/st.c b/st.c
index 8d4a9f2..fc7d9a6 100644
--- a/st.c
+++ b/st.c
@@ -129,6 +129,7 @@ typedef struct {
 static void clipcopy(const Arg *);
 static void clippaste(const Arg *);
 static void numlock(const Arg *);
+static void swapcolors(const Arg *);
 static void selpaste(const Arg *);
 static void zoom(const Arg *);
 static void zoomabs(const Arg *);
@@ -219,6 +220,8 @@ char *opt_name  = NULL;
 char *opt_title = NULL;
 int oldbutton   = 3; /* button event on startup: 3 = release */
 
+int usealtcolors = 0; /* 1 to use alternate palette */
+
 static CSIEscape csiescseq;
 static STREscape strescseq;
 static int iofd = 1;
@@ -233,7 +236,7 @@ static Rune utfmin[UTF_SIZ + 1] = {       0,    0,  0x80,  0x800,  0x10000};
 static Rune utfmax[UTF_SIZ + 1] = {0x10FFFF, 0x7F, 0x7FF, 0xFFFF, 0x10FFFF};
 
 /* config.h array lengths */
-size_t colornamelen = LEN(colorname);
+size_t colornamelen = MAX(LEN(colorname), LEN(altcolorname));
 size_t mshortcutslen = LEN(mshortcuts);
 size_t shortcutslen = LEN(shortcuts);
 size_t selmaskslen = LEN(selmasks);
@@ -2631,6 +2634,14 @@ numlock(const Arg *dummy)
 	term.numlock ^= 1;
 }
 
+void
+swapcolors(const Arg *dummy)
+{
+	usealtcolors = !usealtcolors;
+	xloadcols();
+	redraw();
+}
+
 char*
 kmap(KeySym k, uint state)
 {
diff --git a/st.h b/st.h
index 44d4938..c464dd3 100644
--- a/st.h
+++ b/st.h
@@ -250,7 +250,9 @@ extern unsigned int cursorthickness;
 extern unsigned int blinktimeout;
 extern char termname[];
 extern const char *colorname[];
+extern const char *altcolorname[];
 extern size_t colornamelen;
+extern int usealtcolors;
 extern unsigned int defaultfg;
 extern unsigned int defaultbg;
 extern unsigned int defaultcs;
diff --git a/x.c b/x.c
index fbfd350..886918b 100644
--- a/x.c
+++ b/x.c
@@ -138,6 +138,7 @@ static void (*handler[LASTEvent])(XEvent *) = {
 /* Globals */
 static DC dc;
 static XWindow xw;
+
 static XSelection xsel;
 
 /* Font Ring Cache */
@@ -573,6 +574,11 @@ sixd_to_16bit(int x)
 	return x == 0 ? 0 : 0x3737 + 0x2828 * x;
 }
 
+const char* getcolorname(int i)
+{
+    return (usealtcolors) ?  altcolorname[i] : colorname[i];
+}
+
 int
 xloadcolor(int i, const char *name, Color *ncolor)
 {
@@ -591,7 +597,7 @@ xloadcolor(int i, const char *name, Color *ncolor)
 			return XftColorAllocValue(xw.dpy, xw.vis,
 			                          xw.cmap, &color, ncolor);
 		} else
-			name = colorname[i];
+			name = getcolorname(i);
 	}
 
 	return XftColorAllocName(xw.dpy, xw.vis, xw.cmap, name, ncolor);
@@ -614,8 +620,8 @@ xloadcols(void)
 
 	for (i = 0; i < dc.collen; i++)
 		if (!xloadcolor(i, NULL, &dc.col[i])) {
-			if (colorname[i])
-				die("Could not allocate color '%s'\n", colorname[i]);
+			if (getcolorname(i))
+				die("Could not allocate color '%s'\n", getcolorname(i));
 			else
 				die("Could not allocate color %d\n", i);
 		}
@@ -950,13 +956,13 @@ xinit(void)
 	cursor = XCreateFontCursor(xw.dpy, mouseshape);
 	XDefineCursor(xw.dpy, xw.win, cursor);
 
-	if (XParseColor(xw.dpy, xw.cmap, colorname[mousefg], &xmousefg) == 0) {
+	if (XParseColor(xw.dpy, xw.cmap, getcolorname(mousefg), &xmousefg) == 0) {
 		xmousefg.red   = 0xffff;
 		xmousefg.green = 0xffff;
 		xmousefg.blue  = 0xffff;
 	}
 
-	if (XParseColor(xw.dpy, xw.cmap, colorname[mousebg], &xmousebg) == 0) {
+	if (XParseColor(xw.dpy, xw.cmap, getcolorname(mousebg), &xmousebg) == 0) {
 		xmousebg.red   = 0x0000;
 		xmousebg.green = 0x0000;
 		xmousebg.blue  = 0x0000;