Is the wood in your home a high quality wood? Is it in good condition?

A home I know of that was built in 1958 with wood doors, kitchen cabinets/drawers, and mahogany paneling had a complete new feel when the ceiling, walls, and carpet were changed to white. It made the antique wood furniture in the home more noticeable ("pop") instead of having it get visually lost in front of wallpaper and/or colored walls.

The wooden kitchen cabinets were cleaned and given a new coat of (clear) spar varnish. With the fresh white paint on the walls and ceiling, the whole room seemed transformed.
Kitchen cabinets do not look very good when re-painted with a brush or roller. They should be professionally stripped and sprayed. If they are wood, once they are painted, you can never go back to the wood finish.

I would consider painting the walls and ceilings a fresh white, using white slipcovers on some furniture, perhaps changing some window treatments to white, and perhaps adding a white area rug in a place that does not get heavy foot traffic. A white tablecloth in the dining area might also be an option. These things alone might brighten up and "modernize" your space, while leaving the wood color intact.

I agree if the wood is good quality it's best to keep them and either white or wood colors are timeless design elements.