So many of us have come up believing, especially if we live in small spaces, that every inch of our home needs to be filled. Walls need bookcases and bookcase shelves need to be fully occupied. Or we think walls need lots of art. We want to be stimulated by different colors and patterns on our floors and furnishings. We need our kitchen and bathroom counters loaded with the equipment we use — even if it’s not in daily usage.

The challenge is that it can lead to our homes being less a place of comfort and refuge than a source of overstimulation and unease. And the things we love get lost in among all our “stuff.” For interior designers, the solution is to create negative space. I spoke with several designers about how to create what is essentially breathing room for my new story in The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Home and Garden section.