Hey there Reader,
In planning our next stage of home decoration, I've been thinking about the use of negative space.
It’s the part people often want to fill: the empty wall, the clear surface, the space between furniture.
But in good design, that space isn’t a gap. It’s what allows everything else to work.
Without it, rooms start to feel crowded and cluttered, even when they’re full of things you love.
🔍 One thing to notice
I think life can feel like that too.
Not necessarily because anything is wrong, but because too much has gradually been added.
Commitments. Responsibilities. Mental tabs left open. Things you said yes to for all the right reasons. Things you keep meaning to deal with. Things that may once have fit, but don’t quite fit now.
And when there’s no space around your life, even good things can start to feel heavy.
You might notice that in small ways:
- your days feel full before they’ve properly begun
- you move from one task to the next without much room to think
- there’s very little in the week that feels spacious, restorative, or enjoyable
- even things you care about can start to feel like one more thing
Sometimes the problem is not what’s in your life.
It’s the lack of space around it.
🌍 A wider lens
Negative space works because it gives shape to what remains.
It helps the eye rest. It makes movement easier. It lets the important things stand out.
The same is true psychologically.
We often think wellbeing comes from adding the right thing. A better routine. A new habit. A helpful tool. Sometimes it does.
But just as often, what helps is making more room.
Room to think.
Room to recover.
Room to enjoy something properly.
Room to choose deliberately instead of simply keeping up.
This is one reason the idea of “less but better” keeps returning for me. Space is not empty. Space is what allows what matters to be felt.
This is a big part of what we look at in my Self Discovery coaching.
We step back and look at what your life currently holds, what may no longer fit, and what needs more space around it.
Not to strip everything back for the sake of it, but to create a life that feels clearer, calmer, and more like your own.
If that’s something you’ve been thinking about, you can read more about working with me here.
👉 Click to explore Self discovery
If you prefer to reflect on ideas like this more slowly, we explore themes like these inside The Good Life Book Club.
In April, we’re reading Mattering by Jennifer Breheny Wallace. It looks at the human need to feel seen, valued, and significant, and how much that depends on the environments we’re part of, not just what’s happening internally.
👉 Click to join the book club