If you’ve ever complained about a dripping faucet or a clogged sink, you’ll be able to put things into perspective when you admire a remarkable original piece in the Fondation home: a water stone.
A sort of ancestor of today’s washbasin, it’s actually a basin dug out of a stone and filled with water (which might explain why it was called a water stone. We say that too). This water came from a well, and the vat was filled by hand. A hole was drilled in the bottom and, by removing a plug, the water was drained directly outside via a gutter dug into the stone.
The only sink in the Foundation house, the water stone was used by the sisters, among other things, to wash vegetables and dishes. Ideally not at the same time.