Target Hampton

Sheridan Sansegundo -- Interior Design, 8/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

For six summer weeks in Bridgehampton, New York, the doors of the pristine white Bull's Head Inn opened to a concoction of halfway-through-the-second-martini exuberance—the latest in a series of temporary Target stores. This one was by event designers Avi Adler and David Stark, who transformed the Greek Revival building's two lower stories.

"A fabulous retail environment can transport you to a fantasy world, just like a magical party," says Stark. Deciding that wallpaper could make the greatest impact, he and Adler worked with Omnivore to design 10 patterns. The result was a cross between a designer show house and the "Whitney Biennial," with the art component including old photos of Elks lodge members and primitive oil paintings of fat sheep and clipper ships.

The wallpapers' colors complemented each room's products, whether garden trowels or Shabby Chic linens. Plastic beach toys became irresistible in a room papered with giant fruit. As customers left with a Target hammock or a Target butterfly net, they were laughing.