diff --git a/src/ui/public/vislib/__tests__/components/color.js b/src/ui/public/vislib/__tests__/components/color.js
index b6efe110e1f3..a882d4346b23 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/vislib/__tests__/components/color.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/vislib/__tests__/components/color.js
@@ -1,13 +1,16 @@
 var angular = require('angular');
 var expect = require('expect.js');
 var ngMock = require('ngMock');
+const _ = require('lodash');
+const d3 = require('d3');
 
 describe('Vislib Color Module Test Suite', function () {
   var seedColors;
-  var MappedColors;
   var mappedColors;
+  let config;
 
   describe('Color (main)', function () {
+    let previousConfig;
     var getColors;
     var arr = ['good', 'better', 'best', 'never', 'let', 'it', 'rest'];
     var arrayOfNumbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
@@ -21,14 +24,19 @@ describe('Vislib Color Module Test Suite', function () {
     var color;
 
     beforeEach(ngMock.module('kibana'));
-    beforeEach(ngMock.inject(function (Private) {
+    beforeEach(ngMock.inject(function (Private, config) {
+      previousConfig = config.get('visualization:colorMapping');
+      config.set('visualization:colorMapping', {});
       seedColors = Private(require('ui/vislib/components/color/seed_colors'));
       getColors = Private(require('ui/vislib/components/color/color'));
-      MappedColors = Private(require('ui/vislib/components/color/mapped_colors'));
-      mappedColors = new MappedColors();
+      mappedColors = Private(require('ui/vislib/components/color/mapped_colors'));
       color = getColors(arr);
     }));
 
+    afterEach(ngMock.inject(function (config) {
+      config.set('visualization:colorMapping', previousConfig);
+    }));
+
     it('should throw an error if input is not an array', function () {
       expect(function () {
         getColors(200);
@@ -108,38 +116,66 @@ describe('Vislib Color Module Test Suite', function () {
     });
   });
 
-  describe('Mapped Colors', function () {
+  describe('Mapped Colors', () => {
+    let previousConfig;
 
     beforeEach(ngMock.module('kibana'));
-    beforeEach(ngMock.inject(function (Private) {
-      MappedColors = Private(require('ui/vislib/components/color/mapped_colors'));
-      mappedColors = new MappedColors();
+    beforeEach(ngMock.inject((Private, config) => {
+      previousConfig = config.get('visualization:colorMapping');
+      mappedColors = Private(require('ui/vislib/components/color/mapped_colors'));
+      mappedColors.mapping = {};
     }));
 
-    it('should clear all the keys from the map table', function () {
-      mappedColors.reset();
-      expect(mappedColors.count()).to.be(0);
-    });
+    afterEach(ngMock.inject((config) => {
+      config.set('visualization:colorMapping', previousConfig);
+    }));
 
-    it('should return the color for the added value', function () {
-      mappedColors.reset();
-      mappedColors.add('value1', '#somecolor');
-      expect(mappedColors.get('value1')).to.be('#somecolor');
-    });
+    it('should properly map keys to unique colors', ngMock.inject((config) => {
+      config.set('visualization:colorMapping', {});
 
-    it('should return the count of mapped keys', function () {
-      mappedColors.reset();
-      mappedColors.add('value1', '#color1');
-      mappedColors.add('value2', '#color2');
-      expect(mappedColors.count()).to.be(2);
-    });
+      const arr = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
+      mappedColors.mapKeys(arr);
+      expect(_(mappedColors.mapping).values().uniq().size()).to.be(arr.length);
+    }));
 
-    it('should return all the colors in the map', function () {
-      mappedColors.reset();
-      mappedColors.add('value1', '#colors1');
-      mappedColors.add('value3', '#newColor');
-      expect(mappedColors.all()).to.eql(['#colors1', '#newColor']);
-    });
+    it('should not include colors used by the config', ngMock.inject((config) => {
+      const newConfig = {bar: seedColors[0]};
+      config.set('visualization:colorMapping', newConfig);
+
+      const arr = ['foo', 'baz', 'qux'];
+      mappedColors.mapKeys(arr);
+
+      const colorValues = _(mappedColors.mapping).values();
+      expect(colorValues.contains(seedColors[0])).to.be(false);
+      expect(colorValues.uniq().size()).to.be(arr.length);
+    }));
+
+    it('should create a unique array of colors even when config is set', ngMock.inject((config) => {
+      const newConfig = {bar: seedColors[0]};
+      config.set('visualization:colorMapping', newConfig);
+
+      const arr = ['foo', 'bar', 'baz', 'qux'];
+      mappedColors.mapKeys(arr);
+
+      const expectedSize = _(arr).difference(_.keys(newConfig)).size();
+      expect(_(mappedColors.mapping).values().uniq().size()).to.be(expectedSize);
+      expect(mappedColors.get(arr[0])).to.not.be(seedColors[0]);
+    }));
+
+    it('should treat different formats of colors as equal', ngMock.inject((config) => {
+      const color = d3.rgb(seedColors[0]);
+      const rgb = `rgb(${color.r}, ${color.g}, ${color.b})`;
+      const newConfig = {bar: rgb};
+      config.set('visualization:colorMapping', newConfig);
+
+      const arr = ['foo', 'bar', 'baz', 'qux'];
+      mappedColors.mapKeys(arr);
+
+      const expectedSize = _(arr).difference(_.keys(newConfig)).size();
+      expect(_(mappedColors.mapping).values().uniq().size()).to.be(expectedSize);
+      expect(mappedColors.get(arr[0])).to.not.be(seedColors[0]);
+      expect(mappedColors.get('bar')).to.be(seedColors[0]);
+    }));
   });
 
   describe('Color Palette', function () {
diff --git a/src/ui/public/vislib/components/color/color.js b/src/ui/public/vislib/components/color/color.js
index 5b16c19307c5..522eaf702084 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/vislib/components/color/color.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/vislib/components/color/color.js
@@ -1,10 +1,7 @@
 define(function (require) {
   return function ColorUtilService(Private, config) {
     var _ = require('lodash');
-
-    var createColorPalette = Private(require('ui/vislib/components/color/color_palette'));
-    var MappedColors = Private(require('ui/vislib/components/color/mapped_colors'));
-    var mappedColors = new MappedColors();
+    var mappedColors = Private(require('ui/vislib/components/color/mapped_colors'));
 
     /*
      * Accepts an array of strings or numbers that are used to create a
@@ -24,16 +21,10 @@ define(function (require) {
         }
       });
 
-      var configColorMapping = config.get('visualization:colorMapping');
-      var arrayLength = arrayOfStringsOrNumbers.length;
-      var colors = createColorPalette(arrayLength + mappedColors.count());
-      var uniqueColors = _.difference(colors, mappedColors.all()).slice(0, arrayLength + 1);
-      var colorObj = _.zipObject(arrayOfStringsOrNumbers, uniqueColors);
+      mappedColors.mapKeys(arrayOfStringsOrNumbers);
 
       return function (value) {
-        var mappedColor = configColorMapping[value] || mappedColors.get(value);
-        if (!mappedColor) mappedColors.add(value, mappedColor = colorObj[value]);
-        return mappedColor;
+        return mappedColors.get(value);
       };
     };
   };
diff --git a/src/ui/public/vislib/components/color/mapped_colors.js b/src/ui/public/vislib/components/color/mapped_colors.js
index d55543ed81c2..f992aea831c7 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/vislib/components/color/mapped_colors.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/vislib/components/color/mapped_colors.js
@@ -1,63 +1,50 @@
-define(function () {
-  return function MappedColorFactory() {
+define((require) => (Private, config) => {
+  const _ = require('lodash');
+  const d3 = require('d3');
+  const createColorPalette = Private(require('ui/vislib/components/color/color_palette'));
 
-    var _ = require('lodash');
-    /*
-     * Maintains a lookup table that associates the value (key) with a hex color (value)
-     * across the visualizations.
-     * Provides functions to interact with the lookup table
-     */
+  const standardizeColor = (color) => d3.rgb(color).toString();
+  function getConfigColorMapping() {
+    return _.mapValues(config.get('visualization:colorMapping'), standardizeColor);
+  }
 
-    var MappedColorService = function () {
-    };
+  /*
+   * Maintains a lookup table that associates the value (key) with a hex color (value)
+   * across the visualizations.
+   * Provides functions to interact with the lookup table
+   */
+  class MappedColors {
+    constructor() {
+      this.mapping = {};
+    }
 
-    MappedColorService.colors = {};
-    /**
-     * Allows to add value (key) and color (value) to the lookup table
-     *
-     * @method add
-     * @param {String} key - the value in a visualization
-     * @param {String} value - the color associated with the value
-     */
-    MappedColorService.prototype.add = function (key, value) {
-      MappedColorService.colors[key] = value;
-    };
+    get(key) {
+      return getConfigColorMapping()[key] || this.mapping[key];
+    }
 
-    /**
-     * Provides the color (value) associated with the value (key)
-     *
-     * @method get
-     * @param {String} key - the value for which color is required
-     * @returns the color associated with the value
-     */
-    MappedColorService.prototype.get = function (key) {
-      return MappedColorService.colors[key];
-    };
+    mapKeys(keys) {
+      const configMapping = getConfigColorMapping();
+      const configColors = _.values(configMapping);
 
-    /**
-     * Size of the mapped colors
-     *
-     * @method count
-     * @returns the number of values (keys) stored in the lookup table
-     */
-    MappedColorService.prototype.count = function () {
-      return _.keys(MappedColorService.colors).length;
-    };
+      const keysToMap = [];
+      _.each(keys, (key) => {
+        // If this key is mapped in the config, it's unnecessary to have it mapped here
+        if (configMapping[key]) delete this.mapping[key];
 
-    /**
-     * All the colors of in the lookup table
-     *
-     * @method all
-     * @returns all the colors used in the lookup table
-     */
-    MappedColorService.prototype.all = function () {
-      return _.values(MappedColorService.colors);
-    };
+        // If this key is mapped to a color used by the config color mapping, we need to remap it
+        if (_.contains(configColors, this.mapping[key])) keysToMap.push(key);
 
-    MappedColorService.prototype.reset = function () {
-      MappedColorService.colors = {};
-    };
+        // If this key isn't mapped, we need to map it
+        if (this.get(key) == null) keysToMap.push(key);
+      });
 
-    return MappedColorService;
-  };
+      // Generate a color palette big enough that all new keys can have unique color values
+      const allColors = _(this.mapping).values().union(configColors).value();
+      const colorPalette = createColorPalette(allColors.length + keysToMap.length);
+      const newColors = _.difference(colorPalette, allColors);
+      _.merge(this.mapping, _.zipObject(keysToMap, newColors));
+    }
+  }
+
+  return new MappedColors();
 });