Add the Classic File>New dialog to your QAT and/or put the command on a keyboard shortcut. This will do 90% of what you want although it won't give you the oversize icons.
See
File New Variations in the Versions of Word
and
Modifying the QAT and Ribbon in Microsoft Word
You can download a free Add-In that does this from
Add-Ins. The Add-In can have a ribbon button to give you the dialog as well. The first link above gives directions on how to do this on your own.
I prefer the QAT / keyboard shortcut to the ribbon button because it is available no matter which ribbon tab is displayed.
I
do have a custom Ribbon tab of my templates (see below), but that is a
lot more work. There are links to how that is done in the second article above if you want to try it (I am talking probably hundreds of hours of work). The custom tab has dynamic menus of templates by categories. Each of the buttons with a down-pointing triangle gives a separate menu.