A home renovation is tricky no matter what, but Charlotte Hanna—a cannabis entrepreneur based in New York—figured it out like a pro. She may be a resident Brooklynite, but she spends a good deal of time in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, a quiet town in the heart of the Berkshires. Although plenty of New Yorkers load up their SUVs and head for the rural mountain towns in the sprawling New England region for vacation purposes, Hanna goes to work. The wife and mother of two is also the founder and CEO of Rebelle, a brand that Hanna describes as “cannabis with a purpose.”
That so-called purpose is abundantly clear upon peeking into her retail boutique on Barrington’s Main Street. Within her shop—which Hanna opened in 2019—she marries two elements seemingly not meant to be together: A minimalist but warm aesthetic that beckons a luxury retail experience and cannabis products. Creating beautiful spaces feels natural to her, especially when it comes to her Prospect Park–adjacent brownstone in Brooklyn, New York.
The planning started well before Hanna even moved into her historic property. She wanted to find the perfect house to unleash her creativity. “I have been looking at this neighborhood for years because the history is so rich and pretty fascinating. Every house is single-family with a driveway and a garage, and no two of them are alike,” she explains. “This neighborhood was actually the first homeowners association in the country, which sounds crazy for Brooklyn,” Hanna says.
After years of hunting around, she and her family finally landed on a four-bedroom home spread across 4,000 square feet that needed a lot of tender love and care. “I had a fixed budget, so I knew that a lot of the work would have to be DIY,” Hanna says. Like any house built at the turn of the century—in 1899, to be specific—there were quite a few original details, including the floors, that Hanna wanted to salvage and restore. However, just as many elements needed to go. Luckily, she knew what she was doing.
