FLOCK Forbo’s Flotex provides warmth and comfort for a
Seven-year-old Noah Wall from Cumbria was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus but has continued to defy the odds and confound the medical experts. As his needs have changed over time, his family required a new floorcovering for their home and opted for Forbo Flooring Systems’ Flotex Wood flocked flooring, to provide the warmth and comfort required to help with Noah’s development.
Noah was born with less than 2% brain and the spina bifida, which was developed in the womb, resulting in paralysis from the chest down. A shunt was fitted into his head to drain the excess fluid from his brain cavity at just 43 hours old, then by the age of three, scans revealed that his brain had miraculously grown. And now, with almost 80% brain, Noah is able to talk, see, eat and hear, and is continuing to grow and learn - even adding surfing to his list of skills. With the help of his family, Noah is gaining more independence every day which makes the interior spaces within his family home all the more crucial in aiding his progress.
16 | MAKEOVER OF THE MONTH
Noah’s mum and full-time carer, Shelly Wall, said: “The most important requirement when it comes to designing spaces for Noah is that the areas need to be suitable for wheelchair use, providing a 1500mm clear turning circle. Just as a child would run around the house, Noah wants to go fast in his wheelchair, so when it comes to flooring, it was essential that the material allowed him to move freely. If Noah was left to sit in his wheelchair all day, he could end up with pressure sores, which is why floor time is really important to allow him to stretch and to help him with his digestion. We needed a floorcovering that was warm, comfortable, soft and pleasant for him to lay down and play on.
“While we were searching for new bathroom tiles, a former Forbo Business Area Manager visited our house and noticed that the existing floor was very cold, and therefore recommended that we looked into Flotex. As such, we contacted Forbo to learn more about the product and a large sample of Flotex, from the HemingwayDesign collection, was
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