I can't fault Google for experimenting, but the 'all or nothing' approach they took to the rollout was an example of false choice. The classic coloring could have been offered as a theme to lessen the impact of the UX changes.

In case you miss the old color scheme, try this Stylish theme:

http://userstyles.org/styles/64637/gmail-google-mail-classic...

Follow Jason's post to fix icons and spacing:

http://jasoncrawford.org/2012/04/how-to-cope-with-the-gmail-...