When it comes to a kitchen, the phrase "Form before function" just does not work. And most trends change so fast because they do use "Form before function". Look at the styles look at how you and your family use the kitchen. My wife and I for several years liked to make our own bread from scratch, standard kitchen height surfaces were not very good for kneading dough, I always wanted a counter about 5 inches shorter so I could really knead the dough, and I am a fairly tall guy at 6'1".
Style may be nice but does it work?
I completely agree - if the function is good, the form matters little, but vice versa....
Yep, the high counters are an issue for us too, but at least in the bathroom, we have lowered everything to midget height suitable for us. Even the toilet is a bit lower :)