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Children's Homes for children with EBD

High Drive, Kingston

Smrithi Chandran

Founding Partner

An architectural, watercolour and line-drawing sketch of a proposed backyard garden and extension for a British house. In the foreground, there is a grassy lawn with two oval stepping stones. Surrounding the edge is a wooden decked area with a step leading up to the main deck. A raised planter with wooden edges contains lavender plants. On the left side is a wooden panel fence with tall, thin trees. On the right side is a tall, textured red brick wall with a vertical green living wall panel, a wooden slatted bench, and a dark metal door leading to an outdoor utility space. The central feature is a single-storey modern extension made of London stock brick with two large windows and a pair of large dark-framed glass doors. Above and behind this, the rear of a larger, older house is visible, with a pitched, hipped roof and several large casement windows, rendered in a simpler sketch style. The whole scene is rendered in an illustrative, hand-sketched style with sepia-toned paper.

Mini-guide: Designing Homes for Children

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Project Overview: A complete spatial transformation and extension of a residential property, creating a warm, non-institutional home tailored to give vulnerable children greater choice, independence, and domestic comfort.


  • The Challenge: The existing dwelling suffered from a cramped, disconnected floorplan. Enclosed rooms and isolated common spaces restricted how young people could play, socialise, and unwind together. The ambition was not simply to add raw square footage, but to re-engineer the entire interior layout around the daily emotional and physical needs of the children.


  • Spatial Innovation & Interior Reconfiguration:

    • The Heart of the Home: Re-imagined the ground floor by building a light-filled rear extension, seamlessly blending previously isolated kitchen and dining rooms into a bright, open-plan space for cooking, sharing meals, and building community.

    • A Sanctuary of Quiet: Retained a smaller, secluded lounge at the front of the property, providing a calm haven for downtime, privacy, and quiet reflection away from communal activity.

    • Dedicated Seating Snug: Introduced a cosy, dedicated snug nook—giving young people meaningful choices over where and how they relax.

    • Optimised Private Quarters: Re-evaluated every square metre of the existing upper floors to incorporate two new en-suite bathrooms within existing bedrooms, supporting personal dignity and independence.


  • The Lived Impact: Through purposeful architectural reconfiguration, the property has been transformed into a spacious, multi-layered home. It balances vibrant shared spaces with serene private pockets, giving children the safety, freedom, and spatial dignity they deserve.


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An eye-level wide shot of a modern kitchen diner interior. A dark wooden live-edge dining table is in the bottom left foreground, surrounded by several grey mid-century style chairs. Part of a marble-topped kitchen island is visible in the bottom right, with two modern grey bar stools tucked beneath. Along the back wall are matching grey-green shaker-style base units and floor-to-ceiling larder cabinets. Above the polished marble worktop, a large patterned mosaic tile splashback runs across. An integrated electric hob with an extractor hood and a grey oven are positioned on the base unit. There are also an inset butler-style sink and various shelves and upper cabinets with a light wood grain back. Plant pots sit on and within the cabinets. The floor is made of large light wood-grain planks. On the far left, a glass door opens out with a glimpse of an outside garden area, and on the far right is a timber shelf with books and a vase, with a timber door beyond. The scene is lit by natural light. The mood is warm and inviting.

redwick-road-bristol

Redwick Road, Bristol

redwick-road-bristol

A watercolor and line art illustration, rendered in soft, muted tones on sepia-toned paper, of a detached house with a distinct roofline. The property has a large front garden with a paved driveway on the left leading to an integral single garage with a dark roller-shutter door. To the right of the garage is a large bay window with white frames and small square panes, characteristic of a mock-Tudor or 1930s design. The central part of the house features a main entrance with a dark, panelled door and a white front porch. Above the entrance, a small gable features a single casement window. Another window is visible to the right of the door. The roof is tiled, with multiple gables and a hip design, featuring terracotta tiles. A brick chimney stack is visible on the right. To the rear left, the roof and chimney of another building are partially visible behind mature trees. The foreground consists of a meticulously detailed lawn with ornamental grasses, low-growing shrubs, and borders with flowering lavender and perennials. A dense hedge borders the right side of the property, with a partial view of another property's roof. The driveway is made of paviours. Trees surround the property, and the sky is a pale wash of grey-white with faint clouds. The style is classic architectural rendering with a natural, artistic feel.

beech-house-chorleywood

Beech House, Chorleywood

beech-house-chorleywood

An eye-level wide shot of a modern kitchen diner interior. A dark wooden live-edge dining table is in the bottom left foreground, surrounded by several grey mid-century style chairs. Part of a marble-topped kitchen island is visible in the bottom right, with two modern grey bar stools tucked beneath. Along the back wall are matching grey-green shaker-style base units and floor-to-ceiling larder cabinets. Above the polished marble worktop, a large patterned mosaic tile splashback runs across. An integrated electric hob with an extractor hood and a grey oven are positioned on the base unit. There are also an inset butler-style sink and various shelves and upper cabinets with a light wood grain back. Plant pots sit on and within the cabinets. The floor is made of large light wood-grain planks. On the far left, a glass door opens out with a glimpse of an outside garden area, and on the far right is a timber shelf with books and a vase, with a timber door beyond. The scene is lit by natural light. The mood is warm and inviting.

redwick-road-bristol

Redwick Road, Bristol

redwick-road-bristol

A watercolor and line art illustration, rendered in soft, muted tones on sepia-toned paper, of a detached house with a distinct roofline. The property has a large front garden with a paved driveway on the left leading to an integral single garage with a dark roller-shutter door. To the right of the garage is a large bay window with white frames and small square panes, characteristic of a mock-Tudor or 1930s design. The central part of the house features a main entrance with a dark, panelled door and a white front porch. Above the entrance, a small gable features a single casement window. Another window is visible to the right of the door. The roof is tiled, with multiple gables and a hip design, featuring terracotta tiles. A brick chimney stack is visible on the right. To the rear left, the roof and chimney of another building are partially visible behind mature trees. The foreground consists of a meticulously detailed lawn with ornamental grasses, low-growing shrubs, and borders with flowering lavender and perennials. A dense hedge borders the right side of the property, with a partial view of another property's roof. The driveway is made of paviours. Trees surround the property, and the sky is a pale wash of grey-white with faint clouds. The style is classic architectural rendering with a natural, artistic feel.

beech-house-chorleywood

Beech House, Chorleywood

beech-house-chorleywood

© 2026 All Rights Reserved. Chandran Hughes Architects Ltd. Company Registered in England and Wales. Company Number: 12284699. RIBA Chartered Practice.

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© 2026 All Rights Reserved. Chandran Hughes Architects Ltd. Company Registered in England and Wales. Company Number: 12284699. RIBA Chartered Practice.

Privacy Notice

© 2026 All Rights Reserved. Chandran Hughes Architects Ltd. Company Registered in England and Wales. Company Number: 12284699. RIBA Chartered Practice.

Privacy Notice