The dark dingy bathroom, complete with gas fed lighting and a clawfoot tub was overhauled by the artist in the mid 80s after she found a dumpster full of large marble slabs in her neighborhood.
She hired a marble layer to laminate the floors and walls with the found material.
The old fashioned tub was refurbished and the entranceway to the room expanded to 6 feet wide at a slight angle.
A cabinet and sink combo was built to accommodate the 6' artist's needs.
The 'sunset' painting, created by Matuschka to represent a skyscape, gave the dank and dreary bathroom an expansive country feel.
Additional galleries: Kitchen, Living Room/Dining Room, Bedroom, Office, Hallways.
As one can see the original hallway was dark, narrow and the flooring installed parallel to the walls made the space more restrictive. The artist ripped out the original floorboards, replaced them with wide pine planks and set them perpendicular to the walls--giving the space a more open feel. Additionally the bathroom entrance off the corridor was widened and set at an angle to create an illusion that the hall was actually wider than it is.The artist also eliminated over 50 feet of hallway by removing all the molding, (2) dumb waiters, several doors, wainscoting, transom windows, headers and two small bedrooms.
The corridors' ceiling was sloped to reduce right angles and allow the shadows created from the newly installed light fixtures to 'drip' down the wall, thus producing even more curves and arches on those surfaces.
Wherever possible inlaid marble, tiles and freshly ripped wood were sunk into the newly built arches. In some areas the artist exposed original brick while in other cases inlaying new pieces of brick into the applied stucco and newly spread plaster on the old walls.
Materials used: Wood, stucco, marble, stone, tin, brick.
Additional galleries: Bathroom, Kitchen, Living Room/Dining Room, Bedroom, Office.
The floors in Matuschka's 1896 6-room Victorian apartment were a challenge. Wishing to retain the integrity of the wood, which was often worn, dented, or missing, the artist devised a patch and stain technique which helped hide the deformities and showcase the woods original grain and beauty.
Once walls were removed to open up the space, patching the floor became a logistical puzzle. Using stain as paint, and inserting various types of wood in an unusual combination of sizes and configurations, Matuschka created a stunning "floor painting" with just recycled wood and store bought stain!
