Your cabinets look more like oak. Oak is not a paint grade wood - so you are correct to wait and see if you can get the style you want without painting. The texture of the oak grain shows through the paint and since wood moves a bit with changes in temperature and humidity, the paint can crack at the joints requiring upkeep. However, those that most like their painted oak cabinets do tend to like farmhouse / country / cottage style which is more rustic and so more tolerant of grain texture and paint chips. If they are maple - maple is paint grade and will paint up better. It is always hard to tell from a picture.

One way to lighten up the rooms a little is to paint the trim only (baseboards, window and door casings) and leave cabinets and doors. You can have the wood panel pouted out on some of the doors and replaced with glass. The corner door would lend itself to that look. If you don't want to be able to see into the cabinet a lace or fabric curtain adds country charm and decreases the amount of oak. Retrofitting a cabinet to hold spice drawers, and or plate rail or wine rack adds charm (I just did this) and a pretty stove hood, wood (less expensive) or copper (lovely, but very expensive) also adds character. I have my new hood waiting to be stained to match sitting in my hallway:)

Consider a farmhouse sink and faucet. You will need new doors for the sink cabinet, but a less expensive country alternative is a skirted sink.If you have plenty of storage, consider removing a few upper cabinets and putting in a small area of open shelving. White appliances look nice in a country kitchen. If you love stainless, that would work too, but if you like the white, consider keeping the appliances to spend your money elsewhere. One of the best investments I made was hardwood flooring - ordinary traditional natural oak is a timeless look that goes with many styles. You can remove the peninsula and possibly make an island out of the cabinetry already there. If you lose storage doing that, a hutch or pie safe add storage with country charm.

Light colors for counter and backsplash - and not to busy because oak has grain texture and "movement" and too much going on in the backsplash can make it look to busy. Classic white subway tile with a marble look quartz would be pretty - but there are many different quartz counters - and nothing wrong with laminate if that is what fits the budget. Tin look panels can be an inexpensive country backsplash. Beadboard adds a country feel. A less permanent way to add beadboard is the textured beadboard wallpaper. Personally, I would change out the darker greens (blinds, curtains) to a softer/ lighter green or blue or even neutral and accent with color in decor. Consider roman shades rather than the blinds.

(Last two pics from my kitchen - still a work in progress:)