Our Story
The genesis of our business arose amidst revelry & jubilee! The seed for Ephemera Design Concepts was planted when we celebrating one of designer’s big 4-0. It was a chilly February night at Stonewall Creek Farm with the beautiful North Georgia mountains as the backdrop. The party was highlighted with custom florals, tablescapes, and fireside craft cocktails surrounded by friends and family.
Towards the end of the evening several attendees approached us and asked, “Have ya’ll ever considered doing this professionally?” After years of independently doing florals for friend’s weddings, designing various homes, and stepping in to help family members with parties and staging, we decided it was the perfect time to start our business!
Ephemera Design Concepts was born out of the expressed need for a local floral and interior design company. We consider it privilege for our clients to trust us with their special events and welcome us into their homes. We are honored in helping them make their visions come life and their memories a little more beautiful.
Meet the Team
KATIE SMITH
Katie is a lifelong horsewoman with a love for the mountains. Originally from Montana, she eventually made her way to Sweet Briar College in the heart of the Blue Ridge where she graduated Cum Laude studying Art History and earning business management certificates in Equine Studies and Arts Management. After a successful career in Washington DC, the rockies were calling Katie’s name once again. She headed west where she met, fell in love with, and married her husband.
Soon after Katie relocated to Atlanta but was quick to miss the fresh air and mountain living of Montana. A dear friend introduced Katie to Rabun County where she found peace in the foothills of the beautiful Appalachians. After several children and several years splitting time between Atlanta and Rabun County, Katie made her beloved Stonewall Creek Farm home. It was here at the farm where Ephemera Design Concepts was born and nurtured.
Katie has intimate knowledge of the design process from working with architectural plans to choosing finishes and furnishings. She believes in the power of nature and living in beauty. She epitomizes “the more the merrier” sentiment and specializes in creating those spaces and memories for her clients through personalized interiors and floral arrangements meant to be enjoyed by loved ones. While not working to serve her clients Katie can be found in the barn with her big mare Spice, working on the farm, and enjoying the outdoors with her beautiful children.
Kelly Aker
A naturally born creative, Kelly has been pursuing art since she held her grandfather’s vintage Canon AE-1 35mm camera. The inception of her artistic career started with a collage of her father’s rustic greenhouse cabin by the creek near her childhood home. This collage is now a literal embodiment of what was to become over twenty years later fulfilled within Ephemera Design Concepts.
Kelly grew up in Atlanta, GA, and spent many holidays traveling the world. It is during these travels she discovered that true beauty and inspiration can be found wherever we choose to focus our eyes. She pursued her professional career by obtaining her BA in Art at Pepperdine University in California & her MFA in sculpture at Savannah College of Art & Design in Atlanta, GA. Both permanent collections of SCAD & Pepperdine University acquired her work. Upon completing these degrees, she obtained extensive experience in various fine art fields from costume designing, public sculptures for private & commercial spaces, working at the Atlanta Botanical Garden in their seasonal art displays, being a gallery assistant in various fine art galleries from Santa Monica, CA to Atlanta, GA, and creating her own fine art jewelry business.
Kelly is an exceptional artist with expertise across multiple mediums. Inspired by the natural world and objects that tell a story, she brings an artist's eye and sense of wonder to everything she touches. Whether creating sculptural arrangements of native florals or upcycling found objects into one-of-a-kind decor, she aims to imbue spaces with warmth, beauty, and meaning. When she's not in her studio or garden, she enjoys traveling and spending time with children, instilling in them a love and reverence for the natural world around them.