Challenge Accepted

Robby Perkins, creative director of Daniel Reed Hospitality, on finding resilience — and impeccable style

Interview by ARIEL FELTON

DURING THE MIDDLE of an already diffi cult year, Public Kitchen & Bar was dealt another devastating blow. In June 2020, a fi re caused signifi cant damage to the entire restaurant as well as Franklin’s, the attached coff ee shop set to debut that fall.

“It set us back quite a bit,” says Robby Perkins, creative director of Daniel Reed Hospitality and designer of Franklin’s and Public. “Smoke and water from the fi refi ghting damaged what was left untouched by the fl ames. In the end, it was a total redo.”

Tasked with fi nding a silver lining, Perkins took the opportunity to give Public a design refresh while also putting the fi nishing touches on Franklin’s “fancy coff ee” atmosphere. Both spaces opened in January, leaving 2020 fi rmly in the past.

SAVANNAH MAGAZINE: How does the renovated Public diff er from its original design?

ROBBY PERKINS: Public’s mid-century modern design was originally inspired by Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks, a 1942 oil on canvas painting of a downtown diner, late at night. We loved everything about Public before, but eight years pass in the blink of an eye, and things change.

I spun the design away from industrialmodern to more French-modern. It’s a clean and sophisticated look. The biggest changes are in the downstairs dining room that connects Public to Franklin’s: the accents, light fi xtures, wall paneling and bathroom tile are all new.

SM: Were any pieces salvageable?

RP: The soffi t over Public’s bar defi nes the interior architecture of the space, but after the fi re it had to be completely reveneered in walnut with the help of Forsyth Metal Works and Sean Keeth at Keeth Woodworking. Getting it in and out of the space alone was a feat!

SM: We hear Franklin D. Roosevelt was part of the inspiration for Franklin’s. How so?

RP: I was investigating coff ee in diff erent time periods when I stumbled across a story about coff ee rationing during World War II, the only time it’s been rationed in American history. President Roosevelt, as it turned out, was a coff ee fanatic, and there are several stories about him brewing his own coff ee at the White House. It also explains the Art Deco infl uence on the design of Franklin’s, inspired by the period of the late 1930s and ’40s.

SM: Like those touches of brass — they’re Art Deco, but in a fresh way. Can you talk about that balance?

RP: I’m always trying to create a new way of doing things; new combinations, funky juxtapositions. I like to take a material like marble, which one might associate with being fancy, and hone it to a fl at fi nish, and use it in an unexpected way. The tone and style of Franklin’s isn’t pretentious. It’s fun!

SM: Were any Savannah artisans a part of the renovations?

RP: Defi nitely. Forsyth Metal Works created the paneling and millwork throughout the restaurant — and, of course, that soffi t. The murals at Franklin’s were hand painted by Bethany Travis of Penshaw Hill in her studio in Atlanta. Surface Setters did all of the marble countertops, and Savannah Surfaces provided the tile. The gorgeous light fi xtures are all Circa Lighting.

SM: Now that you’ve made it to the other side, how does it feel?

RP: It’s bittersweet in many ways, but we are so very thankful for all the local support of Franklin’s and, of course, Public, which has become such a staple for locals and tourists alike. We really feel the love.