Ideas for a Tactile Table Top Display

• Enjoy your beautifully decorated room by living in it instead of looking at it. "Successful interior decorating is about taking design principles a step further and melding them with the science of human factors to engage the five senses", according to the Design Diva. Choose decor that is inviting by creating tactile tabletop displays that guests can't keep their hands off.

Appropriate Materials

• A wood mask on a table is likely to generate interest. Wood Face image by paul hampton from Fotolia.com

  When designing tabletop displays, choose items made of sturdy, break-resistant material that provide strong tactile feedback when touched. For example, a textured wooden mask from Africa, as opposed to a porcelain mask with the same design, is more likely to be picked up and tried on. "Design is tactile and textural," according to designer Sheila Bridges. Covering a tabletop with a collection of items of similar texture is monotonous. Mix textures inviting interest, thought and the need to touch. If you see an item in a store and feel compelled to touch it, when guests see it on a table in your home, they will likely want to touch it as well.

Untraditional Picture Holders

• Invite guests to look through your pictures by displaying photos in picture frames that don't just stand there. A picture cube displays photos on all six of its sides. You must pick it up and turn it around to expose the photos on the underside. A decorative album with a photo on its cover is an invitation to open it up, revealing what is inside.

Books

• Pick up an old book to reveal the secrets on its pages. old french books image by phizics from Fotolia.com

  Guests will pick up an interesting looking book and flip through its pages. Display books with pictures that are of general interest or about a specific topic that you embrace. If you enjoy travel, display a book about your recent trip to Europe. If you are an avid angler, perhaps a picture book of rods, flies and interesting places to fish sits atop your coffee table. Guests enjoy the opportunity to look into your world. Old books often invoke special interest. You might put your feet up and browse the pages on a rainy day.

Toys or Gadgets

• Binoculars cry to be picked up and looked through. photography image by peter Hires Images from Fotolia.com

  Toys are for playing. Arrange two or three themed items on a tabletop that are both decorative and enjoyable to touch, such as an old telescope and binoculars standing beside a globe with moving parts, or a tin drum paired with a stick for hitting. Arrange a collection of toys in a basket or ceramic bowl coordinated by color or theme. Place the collection on a side table next to a chair with a comfortable throw over the arm for snuggling up