What Live/Work Spaces Have Looked Like Through the Ages

"In medieval market towns like Chester, England, or Bruges, Belgium, a "burgage plot" was a long, narrow strip of land fronting the main street, granted to "burgesses" (town citizens) for rent. The street-facing ground floor housed a workshop or store making and selling anything from shoes to tools, with the family quarters situated on a level above or at the back of the structure."

"In Japan's Edo period (1603-1867), the machiya ("town house") concealed a surprisingly deep interior that allowed the rising merchant class to live and work in the same space, particularly in the then-imperial capital of Kyoto. With a shop in front, living spaces in back, and a storage loft above, the wooden structures were built with a tori-niwa pathway connecting the entrance to an internal courtyard, and sliding screens and tatami floors that allowed rooms flexible configurations."

Throughout history, people have merged residential and commercial spaces long before modern remote work trends. Medieval European market towns featured burgage plots—narrow strips of land where ground floors housed workshops or shops while family quarters occupied upper levels or rear sections. This arrangement created functioning shopping districts and influenced European city planning patterns. Similarly, Japanese machiyas during the Edo period (1603-1867) served merchant families with front-facing shops, rear living spaces, and storage lofts. These wooden structures featured flexible interior configurations using sliding screens and tatami floors, with ornate lattice facades indicating shop purposes. Though few original examples remain, these typologies demonstrate how integrated live/work arrangements have shaped urban design across different civilizations.

Read at Dwell