Qt is not that bad.
An alternative is WxWidgets.
If you're looking for something more lightweight, FLTK is the way to go.
The new way to have native GUI in Windows 8 is to use C++/CX: http://www.blogmfc.com/n2011/09/27/h...tro-style-app/
I think all of the above is simpler and recommended to use with C++ over writing a separate GUI in .NET.