I do not do design for a living but I have the same feeling as you about this. I hope the new aesthetics does not take over the macOS interface.They are legit going backwards with their design language. It looks like circa 2000.
I do branding and design for a living so maybe I've oversensitive to it, but I find the fact that they are doing this worrisome as it feels regressive and 'un-Apple' to me....