The term "white space" in graphic design really refers to the blank or unused space between the elements of your Web site. It doesn't necessarily have to be white, and in fact, it is usually best to have your blank space blend with the colors and theme of your page.
In general, your white space is going to be the same color as the background of your site. So it pays to put some thought into what this will be, as it will both complement and contrast with your text and graphics.
If you consider the psychology of color when designing your site, white is perceived as bright and fresh, producing a sense of space or highlight important information. In that respect, white is a a great "color" to use for your white space (and background). On the other hand, white can been seen as sterile or cold, and even boring. So, if you're going to have a lot of space between elements, or if your other elements aren't colorful, you might use a warmer background color, one that is inviting, relaxing, and calming.
You want to be careful, too, not to mix too many colors on one page. This will make it hard for your site visitors to know what to look at first. Once again, weight plays an issue as well. A excess of darker colors or a combination of too many colors can make your site appear heavy and overloaded, which will cancel out the highlighting purpose of white space. But too much white can have a negative effect as well. Without some accent color to help organize elements, it may appear that your graphics or text were placed where ever they landed with no plan or scheme. In other words, there will be no direction to guide your eyes around the page.
So, your white space doesn't have to be, often times isn't, always white. But whatever the color, the principle of white space is still the same. Use it to highlight important aspects of your page, make test easy to read and interpret, and organize the sections of your page for easy navigation.
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