Home Work OKGN · Kelowna & the Okanagan

Meet Alyson

Alyson Rice | Principal, Home Work OKGN

I’ve loved interior design for as long as I can remember.

As a little girl, I spent A LOT of time rearranging the furniture in my bedroom. And I don’t mean moving a lamp or switching out a few pillows. I mean pushing around large, heavy pieces of furniture, determined to create an entirely new layout BY MYSELF. I just loved the excitement of sleeping in a different direction or seeing my room from a different angle.

At five years old, I hadn’t quite discovered the value of a measuring tape. More than once, my grand design left me in a predicament that required calling in my big brother for backup.

But that never stopped me.

I was constantly dreaming up new furniture arrangements, changing paint colours, picking out wallpaper, and imagining what a room could look like.

By Grade 6, I’d expanded into classroom design. My mom was my teacher that year, and I was constantly rearranging her classroom and taking over the seasonal bulletin boards.

Apparently, my own bedroom was no longer enough. Before long, I’d become the unofficial resident designer in my family.

What started as a childhood obsession eventually became my career.

I studied Interior Design at Sheridan College, graduating in 2004, and have spent more than 20 years working in interior design, facilities planning, and project coordination across corporate, institutional, healthcare, and public-sector environments. My work has involved planning spaces, guiding renovations and reconfigurations, and bringing together the people, details, and decisions needed to move projects forward.

But my love of residential design never went away.

Having owned several homes myself, I understand that creating a home isn’t just about making it look beautiful. It’s about making it work for the people who live there. It’s knowing when an investment will make a meaningful difference, when a simple change is all that’s needed, and how to make the most of the space you already have.

Over the years, I’ve continued to be the person friends and family turn to when they’re rethinking a room, planning a project, or simply feeling overwhelmed by all the decisions.

That’s why I created Home Work OKGN.

I don’t know about you, but I was never a fan of homework. There were always more fun things I wanted to be doing. Probably rearranging my bedroom.

But with parents who were teachers and principals, there was no escaping it. Homework came first.

The irony isn’t lost on me that I’ve now created an entire business around home work.

But this is the kind I actually love to do. Thinking through the possibilities, figuring out the details, and making things feel a little more manageable. And hopefully, taking a few things off your plate so you can spend more time doing what you love.

Part of it was a desire to return to what I’ve loved since I was five years old: helping people see the possibilities in their spaces and bringing those ideas to life.

But it was also about recognizing something I’d experienced myself as a homeowner. Sometimes you don’t need a full renovation or a big design plan. You just need someone you trust. Someone who can help you think through your options, coordinate the details, find practical solutions, and take a few things off your plate.

I wanted to create a business that brings those two worlds together: a lifelong passion for design and the kind of thoughtful, dependable support that makes caring for a home feel a little less overwhelming.

That starts with getting to know you, understanding what matters to you, and being someone you can count on to get back to you and follow through.

It also means being careful with your budget. I treat your money as thoughtfully as I treat my own. Sometimes something is worth the investment. Sometimes what you already have just needs a fresh eye. You can count on me to tell you either way.

Because sometimes transforming a space starts with a big vision. And sometimes it starts with moving the furniture.

These days, I measure first. Usually.

ALYSON RICEPrincipal, Home Work OKGN