I recently purchased an apartment that was straight out of the 80s, including this antique built-in.

I had some contractors look at it, and the general consensus seemed to be that the previous owners had spent a lot of money on it, so I should somehow repaint/resurface the whole thing and make it modern and nice. Now, I am not a very creative nor imaginative person, but I do love storage and contemporary looking things. If I had the money, I would want to make it look something like this: https://www.houzz.com/photos/chelmer-residence-brisbane-contemporary-bedroom-brisbane-phvw-vp~3185035 Since I don't, does anyone have any good ideas?
Thanks!