One traditional pattern that I & a lot of my same-age friends (30-somethings) always like is the Double Wedding ring pattern. The Bali version of it gives me migraines, but I've seen these really beautiful, elegant black-white-grey versions of it that are beyond stunning. I've seen it quilted with a shimmery white thread, with a silvery-grey cotton thread, or with a single pure color and all are just beautiful beyond words.
I love making quilts that have every ridiculous detail imaginable, but for my own home, my motto is "less is more".