Is clutter affecting the design of your home and life? What do you really need in the interior space of your home, heart and mind? In Feng Shui and design one of the first things recommended is to let go of furniture and objects that no longer serve a purpose and are blocking new good fortune from coming into your life. The universe does not like a void. If your life is full of "old, useless stuff" new blessings will have nowhere to enter. The process of letting go can be an act of love, joy and offering to others (recycling). This allows a great feeling of liberation to enter your life and can also help you in designing and creating your space.

What is "clutter"? Clutter is something that no longer functions, serves a function and/or does not feed us any happiness or soul connection anymore. The questions you need to ask yourself are: Why do I need this? Why am I holding on to this object? Does it make me feel happy? Does it serve a useful function? Is this something I need to keep in my current life with my current interests?

Clutter is different from disorganization. Disorganization often stems from clutter where there is so much stuff that doesn't have a positive purpose in your life anymore. This "stuff" interferes with your ability to think and lay out your current life and home. Are you under "Clutter Pressure?"

We live in a manufacturing and information age. There are thousands of magazines to subscribe to and order from, mailing lists to be on and web sites to visit. We live in a period where accumulating more and more "stuff" seems a better concept than "less is more." Advertising tells us we "must have this" to make our lives happier and fuller. Retailers and marketers appeal to our egos. Many people are under the impression that the more that they have the happier they will be and a "good deal" sometimes is the reason for purchase. Garage sales abound and we feel ourselves unable to resist that croquet set for $5, which we will probably never use and will sit in our garage for years. We are all getting maxed out materially, mentally and emotionally. Why? Because we have allowed things not important to us to enter and stay in our lives and homes long after it is time to let go. It is now the time to say "stop" and to create your home space to reflect you and your life's purpose.

To renovate your home (your life) first let go of things you know you absolutely do not need in your life anymore. That includes things that are holding energies of past life situations that no longer apply to your current life. This could be old books, perhaps furniture from a past marriage, gifts given to you that you never really liked, old dishes, clothes, art work and design accessories that are dated, broken or not in use. Have your own garage sale.

The next step is to decide the mood you want to create and surround yourself with. Try to take some time to think about your lifestyle. Do you live a very formal life or a country informal lifestyle? Do you want a feminine or masculine, whimsical or serious mood? Let your home reflect the real you — create a space that is not for neighbors or the "Impression Books." Again, let go of the clutter of ideas that may not be you.

Remember that clutter doesn't equate to the number of rooms or things in your home — only their usefulness of function and beauty to you. You can design a style of the Victorian Period with lots of accessories or a Zen, Japanese style with hardly any furniture. Think about what the rooms of your home mean to you. Many people have living rooms yet living is the last thing that they do in these rooms. Traditional living rooms have in many cases become obsolete — why keep it in your renovation plans perhaps cluttering the lifestyle of today? The point is to renovate your home with rooms that function, furniture that functions and makes you feel good about yourself. Include accessories that mirror your interests and support you and your life — not put a drain on you.

In our life we seem to have many lives where our values change, our interests change, relationships change, and careers change. If we want new things in our lives we must let go of the old to welcome to new.