For me, lofts that use stairs instead of ladders are the main difference between juvenile and adult. Building the 4-foot platform/closet you want might be the best way to achieve exactly what you want, specifically for your room.

This is also a very clever way to add closet space where there is none - no loft required.
http://www.younghouselove.com/2008/02/over-our-heads/

I haven't seen any, but that one above is really cool and a clever use of space under the bed.

If your ceilings are high enough, I might go a little higher, like 5 feet, so it's easier to get to the clothes.

There's a ton of them here on AT - depends on how much space you want to dedicate, and how much built in your want. Just do a search, but here's another one for you...

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/small-cool-2008-northwest/northwest-22-monicas-seattle-loft-048763

I agree with the stairs comment. I also think that they only look grown up if you can at least quasi-stand when you are up there on the platform. Think lofted small room, not lofted bed. Other than that, I always think it looks like a dorm room.

And this is also sort of dumb, but I also think loft beds can kill the love life of a single person over the age of 22. Sounds like you are a couple so this might not apply :)

This is a timely question for me as well, as I am in the process of building a loft bed, and trying my hardest to not have it look like a dorm room. Both the top picture and the one that flavorsplash mentioned are pictures in my inspiration folder!

I ran across this loft today, and thought it was a really clever way of doing it, if you have the space - http://www.tinyhouseliving.com/2009/06/24/interior-design/clever-loft-bedroom/

My Brother went to engineering school and his whole frat house had these awesome hydraulics. one of the rooms (very high ceilings) would lower and raise their entire bed level. *Engineer required*.

Best loft bed ever:
http://freshome.com/2009/02/03/preparing-the-babys-room-by-l-mccomber-architects/

It doesn't have storage under, really, and depends on a very high ceiling. But yeah, make it a loft room, and not just a loft bed, and you'll be most of the way there...

I don't have a photograph, but used to live in a 200 square foot studio.

I think the trick to the loft bed is to fully incorporate it into the space. I put a bookshelf all the way around the room at the same height as the top of the loft.

The full-size loft bed, btw, was from IKEA, but I covered it in batting and blue silk, then painted the posts blue (the walls were blue venetian plaster). Everything blended - so it wasn't so obvious. I had enough closet space (minimalist phase), so the space underneath was turned into a giant divan/guest bed.

I never slept so well in my life - it was like a sleep chamber.

I agree with Sugarbakers.

I used to live in a large loft apartment that we cut up, and my room was a mere 12 x 13 ft but with 12 ft ceilings, and one side was all window. I needed to put my desk/books/clothes/bed/hangout spot in there, so what I did was to build a second level along one half of the room. It was approx 12 ft by 7 ft and with just enough headroom for me (5'8"). I built a ladder with deeper steps so it was not quite a stairway but more than a ladder.

I used 4 x 4 posts along the ends and the middle, joists every 12 inches, supports etc. I drywalled along the middle posts to cut up the bottom into half. One half I turned into a tiny tiny squeeze in closet (not large enough to consider walk-in, but a skinny person could get inside). The other half by the window I purposed into a homeoffice area - I built in an L-shaped desk along the posts and built my own bookshelves.

I placed my tv above in the lofted area so I could watch Conan late at night, ha! Then on the ground level on the other side of the lofted area, I turned into a little lounge area with floor cushions and my music collection.

If it wasn't the fact that winters were colder than a witch's teat in that room (no heater, so I used a space heater) and that one of my two loftmates turned into PsychoBitch, I would have lived there a lot longer than the 4 yrs I was there. I was quite happy in my cosy little room.

If the ceilings aren't high enough for a loft, an alternative might be a big headboard that is actually a partition wall behind the bed, with a hanging rod attached to the back side making the space between the head of the bed and the wall into a closet.

You could do this with bookshelves, too, in another room.

If possible you can do a true loft, from wall to wall the width of the room. Also makes the loft space a bit more like a room.

In my opinion, the difference between a loft bed that looks like a children's bunk bed verses an adult's loft is in the overall size. Building a loft that is bigger than your bed I think is what really brings it into the realm of an adult solution. It doesn't have to be huge, even just enough space on the side to comfortably put a low night stand type piece and to crawl up a ladder or stairs should do.

This is the loft bed I´ve designed when faced with the same problem:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_EoIpZXKZh-0/SfBlhgx_X0I/AAAAAAAAAOk/aHxd_5gW5Ho/s1600-h/23042009%28001%29.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_EoIpZXKZh-0/SfBhQOllxDI/AAAAAAAAAOE/cCC1MZj7p2M/s1600-h/20042009%28015%29.jpg

It may seem unstylish now, but the plan is to paint it white and install sliding mirrorred doors, and I really think it´s going to look good!

This is one I built in my 460 square foot studio:
http://picasaweb.google.com/msjessiemeghan/73OakStreet#5252945563442834898

The ladder was temporary, I was going to have a more stair-like thing installed. I used 4 beautiful cedar beams which allowed me to keep my queen bed somewhat free-standing with minimal screwing into the walls. It was 7 feet off the ground, I felt it was important that there would NEVER be any crouching. I was going to have my "dining room" underneath.

I built it with $300 and some boyfriend-powered tools.

What about something this? You'd probably want to modify, but I like the concept.

http://growingyourbaby.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/tumidei1.png

This is pretty grown up. And cool.

http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/022009atlastevehouse/item/40601

Here's one that was in Domino a while back and pictured here on decor8. It's a little more feminine than some of the more modernist ones.
http://decor8blog.com/2009/02/04/meet-interior-designer-robin-sillau/

I have slept in a no-longer-sold queen sized Ikea loft bed and one that I made myself out of pipes and plywood. Let me just say, if you have any kind of sex life at all, sturdiness and stability is KEY. Nothing will kill the mood like feeling that you're in danger of falling six feet off the bed.

Beds without visible support posts look best - think a floating platform. But those would also be the most expensive and difficult to install.

I'm thinking chromed posts might also make the bed look a little less like something you'd find in a barn. If you're just intending to use the space under the bed as a closet, maybe you could build a bedframe atop a wardrobe, or a set of wardrobes, and bolt the wardrobes and the frame to each other and the wall for stability.

I've been doing a lot loft bed research and love your design, msjessiemeghan! Very simple yet chic. I would really appreciate any advice/suggestions you have about recreating a similar bed. Please email me if you can! rachel.koslofsky@gmail.com