Lofts are usually defined by one principle – small amount of floor area, but lots of volume. Typically our furniture resides on the two-dimensional surface we affectionately refer to as the floor, and the rest of the volume is used for head clearance and ambiance.
But what if our furniture could reside on that two-dimensional surface we affectionately refer to as the ceiling? If you want to free up more floor and use more of that loft volume then check out the Bedup (or for you that speak French). Most of the time the bed is the largest piece of furniture we have in our homes, and when you have a small floor area it becomes more of a nuisance. And a space with a bed signifies a certain level of privacy that becomes somewhat uncomfortable when visitors are forced to inhabit the space. Of course a good architect could integrate the Bedup into the ceiling better so that guests don’t feel like a bed is going to collapse upon them while they’re watching your TV.
Another bed product that could be useful for a loft space is a roll-out bed (this one is Zoom Room option), which are somewhat similar to the typical Murphy beds. These types of beds are both similar to if you placed your bed on the wall, meaning you now have your largest piece of furniture on your wall instead of the floor.
These are some very cool options for what could be a very cool loft space. If you construct some hammocks and hang a table from the ceiling you may never have to touch the floor again.
Blue Architecture 
Didn’t we used to do this as kids when we’d play “The Floor Is Lava”?
Seriously, though, using the space above your head is so efficient, we could all live in smaller spaces if we’d think vertically as well as horizontally. We could also get more done if we thought of all our major possessions as being required to have two jobs. I’m even noticing it in the Crate & Barrel catalog (or as I like to call it “porn”)–some of the larger ottomans are fold-out twin beds, and the smaller ottomans are empty inside for storage while their tops turn over to be used as trays or side tables.
I love the “floor is lava” approach to small space design.
We have succumbed to this notion that we are defined by our possessions. My wife and I have been slowly purging items that we deem irrelevant and extraneous. Honestly, if our house caught fire I would probably save (besides my family and our bi-polar cat) only my recliner and the framed exorcists masks my brother got me. Maybe that’s how we should set a quota for how much stuff we can own, and if something doesn’t make the cut then it’s discarded.
And I totally agree with your statement about the Crate and Barrel catalog being architectural porn. I’ll find myself reading that and muttering “oh yeah, that’s nice.” Truly sad.
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