Set inside the historic Boat House on Main Street, Perenn, an all-day bakery, rotisserie and grocery concept from husband-and-wife owners Aubrey and Tyler O’Laskey made its Tennessee debut in Franklin in May.
After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America and private cheffing and catering, the O’Laskeys opened their first Perenn in 2018 with a small neighborhood cafe in Reno. Its quick popularity sparked the expansion into a full-service restaurant, bakery and market.
In 2024, the O’Laskeys relocated their family of six to Tennessee, enticed by the rolling greenery, family-friendly nature and artisan farms and purveyors of Middle Tennessee.
“We found a home in Franklin with everything we love — community, creativity and a real appreciation for craftsmanship,” Aubrey said.
Designed to feel warm and approachable, the Franklin location reflects the couple’s signature blend of sustainability, seasonality and simple cooking, brought to life in collaboration with designer Anton Anger at Studio Meadow.
“This location was intended to be an extension of some of the work that we had done together out west, but definitely have some growth for them as they tried to find a more mature expression of the design language,” Anger said. “Franklin was the optimal place to test that out.”
The 2,700 square feet counter-service space pays homage to its historic setting: the Boat House overlooking the Harpeth River. A homey feel, featuring warm textures and cozy seating nooks invites guests to linger from morning pastries to evening pours.
“There was a little bit of storytelling that we chose to do, which was to take the structure and try to elevate it in certain ways to match what we saw going on in some of the rest of Franklin in a way that was not cartoonish, but definitely a bit theatrical,” Anger said.
A hand-painted espresso machine by Darin Stockwell in Perenn’s signature dark green anchors the coffee counter, with paintings by Renee Evans adorning the dining room. With 40 interior seats and 60 exterior seats, the space is built for connection and comfort in the heart of Franklin.
The main dining room evokes a true boathouse with low, wooden ceilings, complemented by upholstered booths lining the walls and additional table seating throughout, including a back patio, a front patio and riverside seating with sweeping views of the Harpeth River.
“The dining room was something that was stressing a lot of people out,” Anger said, as he turned away from the soaring ceilings with exposed mechanical systems seen in many restaurants over the past 20 years to something compressed and intimate, adding walls, dropping the ceiling and creating a sense of place and comfort by creating small niches and pockets for people to sit.
“At first it was stressful and I think everyone got a little panicked, but Aubrey and Tyler, they got it pretty quickly,” Anger said. “This is a really pretty, historic space, and we wanted to make something that felt special for Franklin.”
A second Perenn opened shortly after in Berry Hill, in Nashville’s Oak Barrel Building. This space serves as a central bakery for wholesale orders, catering and events as well as a café open to the public. With an open-layout production floor, the design allows guests to watch the bread making process in action.
“It’s been really exciting to grow alongside them as their ambition and the scale of their projects has grown,” Anger said, who has had a hand in the design of each of their spaces over the years. “So, too, is what we’ve been able to shoot for and achieve in these buildouts.”
