As long as it's kept weed-free, negative space can be an effective component of shrub beds. In the photo above, because of the negative space, the shrubs and small Japanese maple trees closest to the viewer's eye seem to flow out from the brick wall, like a colorful glacier.
Pictures of Foundation Plantings: Example of Negative Space
Negative Space in Large Shrub Beds
If you have a large shrub bed next to your house foundation, don't think that you have to fill all of it with shrubbery....
This photo shows and example of a colorful foundation bed.
David Beaulieu