(Above) Beth & Jenny

(Below) Jenny designed the outdoor dining area of the house with stripped yellow walls, a limed ceiling and distressed table and chairs for a weather-beaten effect. (Right) The drawing room which Jenny designed for Beth Karmin's beach house is typical of her clean, individual style.

Jenny Armit was well established as a designer in this country before her move to Los Angeles in 1998. Known for her individual style, she often combines strong colour with the contrasting textures of silks, velvets and linens to opulent effect. In 1996, she was commissioned to work for the Atlanta Olympic Games. Working fron an office in L.A., she discovered an area called Three Rivers, three hours outside the city. "It is right on the edge of the Sequoia National Park and is ravishingly beautiful. I bought a shack on the edge of a river, looking upstream towards a mountain range - I didn't even look inside it before I bougfht it," she says. Realizing that she had made something of a commitment, Jenny moved herself lock stock and barrel to the West Coast. Since much of her design work had already been published in the States, Jenny didn't have to "reinvent" herself and soon commissions flooded in. English designers, she believes, " have a strong sense of history which is much appreciated by Americans". Recent projects include the Agent Provocateur shop on Melrose Avenue, the estate of producer Keith Addis of Industry Entertainment and the French consuls apartment. "What do I most enjoy? Working with nice people", says Jenny. That feeling must be reciprocated, as she still comes back to England to work for previous clients."People don't seem to let me go", she laughs.

Jenny Armit,3425 La Sombra Drive, Los Angeles, California(tel: 00-1-323 851 5568