I think that the new design follows clean look design philosphy. It is not better, not worse, just different.
I like the new clean look since some icons in version 14 I didnt't like at all. But I agree that little color in some icons would go a long way.
For exmaple I have in toolbar: logon, logoff, run, break, commit, rollback, compile invalid - and I like the diversity.
On the other hand the icons above resut grid need some color. Please don't make big changes - small adjustments would do.
I use large icons, since my monitor is big. For small icons I think that the icons could be totaly different, not just the same with reduced size.