Do you really love what's in your home? If you're getting ready to renovate, the obvious answer is yes...when the dust settles! But before you start tearing down the walls, there's virtue in stepping back and taking a look at "stuff" first.

Take designer Lauren Liess's advice and avoid a big redesign mistake:

We all have “stuff.” It accumulates in most households and can hold us back from having beautiful houses and enjoying our homes if we let it. People change, tastes evolve. When redesigning a space using existing pieces, homeowners often try to create entire rooms around items that they don’t love, maybe just because something cost a lot or because it “works.” But why put good money after bad? I believe this is a mistake and that our homes should embody us. If we ditch the items that we no longer need or feel strongly about, we leave room in our homes for things that truly speak to us. 

Here’s a list of five questions to ask yourself when weeding out these “unnecessaries”:

1. Do I love it?

2. Do I use it? (Often enough?)

3. Do I need it?

4. Is it sentimental?

5. Does it feel like “me”?

If you can’t answer “yes” to any of these questions, then you don’t need it and it is an “unnecessary.” Say goodbye and part ways!

Designer Lauren Liess's signature style has been hailed as young, fresh and intuitive. Her blog, thepurestyle.com, has been featured in The Washington Post. 

[main image: David Sacks | Lifesize | Getty Images]