A forest cabin and an apartment in a New York warehouse feature in this lookbook, which shines a light on ten homes with snug bedrooms raised on mezzanine levels.
Mezzanines are half-storeys inserted between a floor and ceiling to create extra space or distinct zones for different activities.
They are popularly used as platforms for bedrooms, particularly in open-plan residences, because they create privacy from adjoining living spaces.
The examples below demonstrate the potential of a mezzanine bedroom as a space-saving tool for small homes, but also as a way to take advantage of tall ceilings in lofty residences.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks including warm wood-clad kitchens, relaxing wet rooms and space-saving bunk beds.
House for a Sea Dog, Italy, by Dodi Moss
An exposed roof structure, floors of unvarnished wood and a plaster wall create a rustic look for the mezzanine bedroom in this loft apartment in a 17th-century building in Genoa.
The home was designed by Dodi Moss to feel as open and spacious as possible, so the level change is used to provide privacy for the sleeping area as opposed to solid partitions and walls.
Find out more about House for a Sea Dog ›
Sliding polycarbonate panels line one side of the sleeping platform in this Barcelona residence, allowing light to enter the space while separating it from the floor below.
Its designer, RÄS, finished the space with black decorative tiles that contrast with the rough-painted white brick wall that borders one side.
Find out more about La Dominique ›
Bed-Stuy Loft, USA, by New Affiliates
New Affiliates inserted this mezzanine above the study and kitchen area of the Bed-Stuy Loft apartment in New York to create a bedroom beneath its high ceilings.
The sleeping area, which sits alongside a raised dressing area, is finished with plywood and white metal-mesh panels that nod to the industrial heritage of the building in which it is located.
Find out more about Bed-Stuy Loft ›
Alternating tread stairs lead up to this cosy bedroom, which SABO Project placed on a half-level when optimising floor space in a 72-square-metre apartment in Paris.
The bedroom provides a sleeping area for guests and uses a skylight and a wall of translucent glass panels to maximise light while ensuring privacy.
UWS Apartment, USA, by Stadt Architecture
Stadt Architecture introduced a mezzanine to a narrow 1970s condominium in New York in order to create a larger bedroom and bathroom for its owner.
Set against exposed brickwork walls, the platform is finished with a dark walnut floor that helps unify it with the level below. The bed's headboard doubles as a balustrade, while its base contains hidden storage.
Find out more about UWS Apartment ›
Barbican Mezzanine, UK, by Francisco Sutherland Architects
Set under the vaulted ceiling of an apartment in London's Barbican Estate, this children's bedroom forms part of a wooden mezzanine structure that also contains a bathroom and wardrobes.
Francisco Sutherland Architects lined the sleeping element of the volume with a wall of shutters that provide privacy while opening the room out to an adjoining bedroom below.
Find out more about Barbican Mezzanine ›
Soho Loft, USA, by Julian King
A mezzanine with sculptural white walls was among the features that architect Julian King introduced in his reconfiguration of a tall and long warehouse apartment in New York.
Taking advantage of the home's high ceilings, the intervention allowed King to relocate the bedroom to a higher level and create a more fluid, open layout for the owner.
Find out more about Soho Loft ›
K907, Poland, by Thisispaper Studio
This sleeping area is hidden within a boxy plywood volume that Thisispaper Studio inserted into a pared-back holiday apartment in an old print warehouse in Warsaw.
Its design helps maximise floor space while drawing attention to the lofty dimensions of the apartment, which enhances its minimalist aesthetic.
Rural House in Portugal, Portugal, by HBG Architects
Built within an old granite community oven in the village of Aldeia de João Pires, this holiday home contains a wood-lined mezzanine that maximises space below its original gable roof.
The platform, which also contains a second bathroom, is accessed by steps that double as a table and concealed behind slats of wood that ensure privacy while allowing light inside.
Find out more about Rural House in Portugal ›
Inhabit, USA, by Antony Gibbon Designs
This mezzanine bedroom sits above a kitchen in a stilted wooden treehouse built by Antony Gibbon Designs in a forest in Upstate New York.
The cosy wood-lined bedroom looks out through a wall of glazing that runs upwards from the ground floor of the cabin, framing views of the surrounding trees and Catskills mountains.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks including warm wood-clad kitchens, relaxing wet rooms and space-saving bunk beds.