On Sunday, a friend and I headed to Belmar in Lakewood to see Juno at the theatres located there. With time to spare before the movie we stopped in on the design boutique Composition. I wanted to show my friend the Design Emulation Kits which I bought my dad a DEK for his 60th birthday last year. The Designer Emulation Kits are homage to great design. The kits are unassembled, miniature emulations of classic lamps. I bought my dad the DEK #2, an emulation of the Arco Floor Lamp designed by Achille Castiglioni. The lamps are easily assembled yourself, powered by a one volt battery and you get to feel a little like a design genius, or at least someone who appreciates great design.
What we thought would be an in and out stop turned into an hour long visit. Though the array of products is varied and vast – furniture to clothes to cameras to wallets – the thread that connects everything is great design. We missed our movie, but we were just as entertained browsing Composition. Here are some of my favorite products:
The LOMO Action Sampler is a four-lens camera. With one click, you get a four picture series - kind of like a photo booth. It is really simple technology; you don’t have to be a camera whiz to figure it out – just use any 35 mm film and no need to worry about shutter speed, aperture or focusing. I think it’s a good price at $30 and would make a fun gift or a good thing to have around at a party.
Composition has a ton of cool laptop bags. The Acme brand is one of my favorites. These bags are slim, upholstered in quality, stain resistant material and structured with padding for safe transportation. I love them, but I probably won’t spend $169 on a laptop bag anytime soon.
There is a great variety of stationary and greeting cards too – especially some unique, oversized and blank on the inside Valentines’ Day cards, perfect for a long and personal love note! I also loved the Large Disposable Clipboard. Its simple, but sleek – just like most the products at Composition.
In the sale section you’ll find many wallets on sale including the FREITAG line. These wallets (and messenger bags, ipod cases, etc) are made from original recycled materials like tarps, seat belts and bicycle inner tubes. These wallets are slim, sturdy and unique.
I ended up purchasing the Timbuk2 Slim Wallet. It is long and slim with lots of organizational potential, which I desperately need. It has 9 interior card slots, two long pockets for bills, a coin pocket, an exterior zipper pocket and it closes with a magnetic button. I got it on sale for $20.
While checking out, I saw a flyer for the Ink Lounge Gallery just around the corner. Their current exhibit is "Howdy from Austin" - a collection of screen printed concert poster and art hailing from Austin, TX. We headed there next...stay tuned for Sunday in Belmar Part 2: Ink Lounge Gallery.
Composition
[where: 7180 W Alaska Dr, Lakewood, CO 80226
303-894-0025
www.shopcomposition.com
info@shopcomposition.com
Photo Credit: New York Times
