I think you do not remember Windows 3.11 as well as you think you might. :-)
I actually installed it in a VM the other day for nostalgia's sake and... Wow that's difficult to navigate when you have gotten used to the modern Windows interfaces. It's not even the look, really - it is the functionality.
As for this flexibility with Windows, it's still there, you just aren't getting the built-in choices you 'want' necessarily. There are third party solutions (as there have always been) to make your "desktop" look like you want...
As for Apple's GUIs - I saw the last change they did to their iPads... That really 'flattened' things out, in my opinion. I don't know why everyone moved from the bubbly/rounded format used for the last decade to a more flat look - but I know I have heard most of the same complaints about the stuff being introduced now as the stuff it replaces. Aesthetics and taste - different for everyone.