Separate Content / Display Background

There is a break in the page between the body content (i.e. on the homepage it is the slider) and the footer. The space is pretty thin and shows the background – making it as though the footer is sort of in its own box. I am wondering if there is a way to get a similar space between the header and the body of a page (I have disabled the subheader). Or, for that matter, anywhere else I wish to separate content: like between the body and some video short-codes, or between the slider and the teaser area on the home page?

Thanks