Temple House By GOLDEN
Temple House by GOLDEN and J. Kidman frames living with art through measured thresholds—bound by beautifully crafted spaces and a palette tuned to daily family life.
Words HANDE RENSHAW Photos SEAN FENNESSEY Architect J.KIDMAN Interior Design GOLDEN Interior Stylist TALI ROTH Shoot Stylist MARSHA GOLEMAC Landscape Design PLUME Build OVEREND CONSTRUCTIONS
Refining modern living, Temple House creates multifunctional spaces that harmoniously integrate to suit family living.
Artwork by Micheal Georgetti.
Artwork by Josh Yeldman.
Sculpture on kitchen island by Nabilah Nordin.
“A key factor in the project’s success was the collaborative synergy between GOLDEN’s interior designer vision, architect J. Kidman, interior stylist Tali Roth, landscape architect Plume, and builder Overend Constructions.”
Artwork (left wall) by Darren Sylvester, and (on right) by Jan Albers.
Tarnished Silver Constellation Pot by Nicolette Johnson from Craft Victoria. Small artwork by Michael Staniak.
The material selection blends beauty with the inherent durability required by a family home.
Wall sculpture by Robert Owen.
Sculptural Vessel in Black & Gold by Timothy White from Craft Victoria.
Artwork by Ry David Bradley and sculpture by Nabilah Nordin.
In Hawthorn, Melbourne, Temple House binds a family home and gallery into a single, choreographed sequence. Conceived by GOLDEN with architecture by J. Kidman, the rooms move through measured thresholds—compress, release, and a disciplined use of material.
Arrival is reset from the start. Rather than a front door reveal, guests are guided along an intimate landscaped path to a side entry. A large door opens onto a vestibule lined in silver travertine and combed limestone, a compact prologue where curated artworks set the tone.
From here, a colonnade of lowered ceiling height extends in two directions, appearing to run on. yet each arm is purposeful: one to home offices, media room and garage, the other to three children’s bedrooms, the main suite and a central, hard-working laundry. A nucleus at the core houses a luxurious powder room and generous cloak storage, anchoring the daily choreography of a young family.
Beyond this measured compression, the house exhales. The vestibule opens to a seven-metre-high volume that expands into living, kitchen and dining—a spatial lift that gives the project its name. The sense is ceremonial without being precious, made legible by a materials palette that pairs beauty with durability. In the kitchen, stain-resistant Verde Alpistone handles hard use, while a communal table in composite resin sits beside the island, robust enough for paint and marker experiments. Rubber flooring in the children’s rooms privileges practicality; timber wraps from ceilings to walls to unify volumes and soften acoustic edges.
Details are handled with restraint. Leather-wrapped consoles sit flush in niches. A perforated bronze bar, each panel individually patinated, acts as a counterpoint to the custom dining table. The main ensuite centres on a cylindrical vanity within smoked-glass screens and connects to a bespoke wardrobe. In the children’s bathrooms, Bisazza Opus Roma tiles run wall to ceiling and across the vanity for a continuous finish.
Landscape draws rooms into conversation. Between the main suite and dining area, a soft courtyard filters light and privacy; a second court opens from the living space toward the pool, where planting tucks among hard-landscape installations that read as art in their own right. Throughout, circulation is clear, service zones are central, and display walls offer quiet staging for the collection.
Temple House is the outcome of close collaboration—GOLDEN, J. Kidman, interior stylist Tali Roth, landscape architect Plume, and Overend Constructions—under clients who backed the vision. The outcome is a family house that goes beyond the gallery idea: sequence and material lead, with art and everyday use in equal measure.
