Less is the New More: Making the Most of Small Spaces
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 10.14.08
As people migrate to smaller spaces, good design helps a lot. This is something they figured out in Europe long ago, that if you don't have a lot of horizontal room you can go vertical. Tumidei in Italy makes some of the nicest stuff, like this unit with lots of storage under.
This unit just raises the floor high enough for beds to slide under.
This one looks a bit clinical, but has two single beds plus a pull-out double bed in between. When you read in the New York Times that professional couples with children are moving into small one-bedroom apartments in Manhattan and sleeping in closets, perhaps this stuff could be useful.
None of this stuff is cheap, nor, as far as I can tell is it available in North America, but there are ideas here that demonstrate how people can share a space and still get a little privacy, a good place to work and a lot of storage in a very small envelope. More to see at Tumedei via: Unclutterer
More neat loft ideas in TreeHugger:
Students Loft Box Home
Everything In Its Place with the Interlocking Puzzle Loft
Loft in Space by Hogarth Architects
Less is the New More: Building Loft and Alcove Beds
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