Karine Monie

When it came to decorating her vacation home, designer Leah Ring's aim was simple: she wanted a mood-lifting space, a jolt of good energy and joy

Plus, plenty of thoughtful storage

Creating a dream house from scratch would be an intimidating prospect for anyone. And yet, for some, it brings with it a high dose of excitement. “We spent a year and a half living in the old house during the design and permit phase,” José Mollá and Maria Cersosimo recall. “Then we had an unforgettable demolition party, with DJs and drummers playing while all of our friends painted graffiti everywhere and helped demolish the old house. It was the ultimate act of self-expression.” Indeed. But wha…

For their first home built together, Lindsay Nelson and Kayvan Salmanpour went big. The couple—who married in Morocco about a year ago—trusted architect Alexandra Barker from BAAO and interior designer Jae Joo from Jae Joo Designs to fully renovate this project in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. “They reached out to me on Instagram, and we had a great connection when we met,” Jae remembers. “Brownstones are some of my absolute favorite projects to work on, but it can be a long and complicated journey. Wh…