diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/Core.pluginspec b/src/plugins/coreplugin/Core.pluginspec
index 9c965e09731b8b224b82c82e0b718f05de1f08df..5055e98c5b99ec5d678ebe3eb3ab190312863432 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/Core.pluginspec
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/Core.pluginspec
@@ -12,4 +12,7 @@ Alternatively, this plugin may be used under the terms of the GNU Lesser General
     </license>
     <description>The core plugin for the Qt IDE.</description>
     <url>http://qt.nokia.com</url>
+    <argumentList>
+        <argument name="-color" parameter="color">Override selected UI color</argument>
+    </argumentList>
 </plugin>
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/coreplugin.cpp b/src/plugins/coreplugin/coreplugin.cpp
index ebcbb394b44e97114a6ccd6b100a6a1b37a81f6d..da2825ecf84c11dc2aa42da4bbeca0e58b41c3eb 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/coreplugin.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/coreplugin.cpp
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
 #include <extensionsystem/pluginmanager.h>
 
 #include <QtCore/QtPlugin>
+#include <QtCore/QDebug>
 
 using namespace Core::Internal;
 
@@ -58,9 +59,20 @@ CorePlugin::~CorePlugin()
     delete m_mainWindow;
 }
 
+void CorePlugin::parseArguments(const QStringList &arguments)
+{
+    for (int i = 0; i < arguments.size() - 1; i++) {
+        if (arguments.at(i) == QLatin1String("-color")) {
+            const QString colorcode(arguments.at(i + 1));
+            m_mainWindow->setOverrideColor(QColor(colorcode));
+            i++; // skip the argument
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 bool CorePlugin::initialize(const QStringList &arguments, QString *errorMessage)
 {
-    Q_UNUSED(arguments)
+    parseArguments(arguments);
     const bool success = m_mainWindow->init(errorMessage);
     if (success) {
         EditorManager *editorManager = m_mainWindow->editorManager();
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/coreplugin.h b/src/plugins/coreplugin/coreplugin.h
index 0f4360d471fb2b942e0cddb6dbac83009583ac97..58e5958cc85ef5eb97793ae4ba734106bf72de7c 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/coreplugin.h
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/coreplugin.h
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ public slots:
     void remoteArgument(const QString&);
 
 private:
+    void parseArguments(const QStringList & arguments);
+
     MainWindow *m_mainWindow;
     EditMode *m_editMode;
 };
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/mainwindow.cpp b/src/plugins/coreplugin/mainwindow.cpp
index ee3f214db44538eac77792855dbfa8879e3259a0..f0727278ba2c24c2e9513fedf21e3e95acdf88b2 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/mainwindow.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/mainwindow.cpp
@@ -228,6 +228,11 @@ void MainWindow::setSuppressNavigationWidget(bool suppress)
         m_navigationWidget->setSuppressed(suppress);
 }
 
+void MainWindow::setOverrideColor(const QColor &color)
+{
+    m_overrideColor = color;
+}
+
 MainWindow::~MainWindow()
 {
     hide();
@@ -1103,7 +1108,10 @@ void MainWindow::readSettings()
 {
     m_settings->beginGroup(QLatin1String(settingsGroup));
 
-    Utils::StyleHelper::setBaseColor(m_settings->value(QLatin1String(colorKey)).value<QColor>());
+    if (m_overrideColor.isValid())
+        Utils::StyleHelper::setBaseColor(m_overrideColor);
+    else
+        Utils::StyleHelper::setBaseColor(m_settings->value(QLatin1String(colorKey)).value<QColor>());
 
     const QVariant geom = m_settings->value(QLatin1String(geometryKey));
     if (geom.isValid()) {
@@ -1126,7 +1134,8 @@ void MainWindow::writeSettings()
 {
     m_settings->beginGroup(QLatin1String(settingsGroup));
 
-    m_settings->setValue(QLatin1String(colorKey), Utils::StyleHelper::baseColor());
+    if (!(m_overrideColor.isValid() && Utils::StyleHelper::baseColor() == m_overrideColor))
+        m_settings->setValue(QLatin1String(colorKey), Utils::StyleHelper::baseColor());
 
     if (windowState() & (Qt::WindowMaximized | Qt::WindowFullScreen)) {
         m_settings->setValue(QLatin1String(maxKey), (bool) (windowState() & Qt::WindowMaximized));
diff --git a/src/plugins/coreplugin/mainwindow.h b/src/plugins/coreplugin/mainwindow.h
index 7b8510c5e0f2ef884e5727151f47ecbe693b51a3..3c83e073055df3f0e44984cde2d23885d37c5956 100644
--- a/src/plugins/coreplugin/mainwindow.h
+++ b/src/plugins/coreplugin/mainwindow.h
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 #include "eventfilteringmainwindow.h"
 
 #include <QtCore/QMap>
+#include <QtGui/QColor>
 
 QT_BEGIN_NAMESPACE
 class QSettings;
@@ -121,6 +122,8 @@ public:
 
     void setSuppressNavigationWidget(bool suppress);
 
+    void setOverrideColor(const QColor &color);
+
 signals:
     void windowActivated();
 
@@ -219,6 +222,7 @@ private:
 #endif
 
     QToolButton *m_toggleSideBarButton;
+    QColor m_overrideColor;
 };
 
 } // namespace Internal