minimalism.
min·i·mal·ism noun - minimalist adjn
The idea, is to strip out the banal - the useless fluff. A website that is easily read, and concisely informs the user in a timely manner. While I may not be so 'strict' about it, I do prefer to create a site that hasn't 'filled every bit of pixel' on the screen. Just a fraction of prettiness suffices. Content is king, as they say.
The minimal design concept - here are some relevant websites for your convienience:
http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/beautiful-minimal/ (some great minimal designs)
more great examples here
variety of minimal website designs
http://jam.media.org/
http://undesign.org/