Instead of folding against a wall, this space-saving bed by French furniture manufacture Décadrages can be hoisted up to the ceiling to create more room in studio apartments.

BedUp's beech bed-frame can be raised up to the ceiling with the mattress and bedding still in place, using a mechanism that only requires one hand to operate.

It can also be lowered to a height of the user's choosing, enabling furniture to be left in place underneath.

The bed provides an alternative to the Murphy bed, which was designed in the early 1900s and folds out from a wall to save space.

Décadrages described the concept as a "manually retractable mobile mezzanine" that provides a comfortable sleeping area and "loft living space at will". The design enables those in compact dwelling to squeeze an extra eight square metres out of their living space.

The demand for space-efficient furniture is high, with more people living alone, increasing populations and rising property costs in major cities all leading to smaller living spaces.

Earlier this year, a design graduate created a storage system that hangs from the ceiling so it doesn't take up floor or wall space. Ikea has previously unveiled a limited-edition collection aimed at creative city dwellers faced with small living spaces, while Silje Nesdal presented a sofa bed, a shelving system and a set of bookends – all designed for small spaces.

BedUp is available in two versions: Cocoon and Vision. Both come with optional extras that include legs to determine the sleeping height, spotlights in its underside to illuminate the space below when it is pulled up, and a range of surrounding accessories including shelving, mirrors, ladders and climb-up storage units.

It can be installed in less than a day and requires no supporting wall. Although various installation methods are available, the most common is attaching it to the ceiling, with a suspension mechanism at one end and a backboard at the other.

Other creative space-saving solutions include a box that creates a separate sleeping area and compact storage for studio flats, while more can be found in a Polish micro-apartment that measures just 13 square metres.