If you grew up during the 1980s, you likely spent ungodly hours playing video games in someone’s basement. Most of us outgrew that obsession once we left home, but that wasn’t the case for George Petro, president of gaming company Play Mechanix . So when it came time to renovate his family’s traditional house in the Chicago-area suburb of Glen Ellyn—just as his four children were leaving the nest—Petro figured he’d finally create a haven he and his wife could love forever, while treating his younger self to the basement arcade of a true superfan.

Architect Jamie Simoneit of Z+O Architecture helped design the five-bedroom New England–style Shaker shingle house that is surrounded by lush, manicured greenery and overlooks the town’s lake. But it was Amy Storm , who also lives in Glen Ellyn, that made the house a home.

Storm hung custom white cabinets with simple trims in the kitchen before applying hexagonal-patterned marble tiles to the backsplash. That motif repeated throughout the home, while custom purple leather stools add a playful pop.

“The bones are super strong and neutral, so the house has longevity, which is very key to how we do design,” Storm says. Guests who enter the house will notice the lack of closets at the front, providing a big, open space that encompasses the dining and living rooms. Those areas are mostly gray and white with pops of unexpected color. “Early on, the Petros had found this floral wall covering they loved that was bright and geometric, and gave us a good indication of what they were into,” explains Storm. That embrace of color and pattern allowed Storm to drop purple leather stools at the kitchen island, hot pink upholstered wing chairs in the living room, and teal accents here and there. It also led to hexagon motifs turning up on bathroom tiles, a kitchen backsplash, and custom furnishings.

Notably, a two-story fireplace chimney intentionally stops before it reaches the roof, drawing visitors’ eyes to the great room’s shiplap ceiling. But the real drama is secreted downstairs, where the massive subterranean space holds some 20 arcade games and bar shelving that re-creates the original Pac-Man maze. What is more, a geometric pattern was inspired by the beloved Q*bert game, while carpet tiles appear pixelated like a lo-fi video game. “I was not aware of how extreme the arcade was going to be,” admits Storm, “but it is really fun and truly honors the games and the owner’s love of them.” At another point, she notes of the project, “The home is modern and elegant—you’d never know there was this wild basement unless you went down there.” Indeed, but then again, that’s what makes it the most fun hangout in town.