Jim, Since I generally discourage people from going the "make it look like an older version" route, for many reasons, I cannot answer your question so far as how well any of the created "Windows Classic" themes that can be acquired for Windows 8.1 actually work.
Take a look at some of the results from this DuckDuckGo search for Windows Classic Theme for Windows 8.1. It will be trial and error to see if you can find something that truly meets your needs. Brian
