The paint will last longer and it will look much better and richer if done the right way.

Refacing is the worst thing you can do to your cabinets and its a waste of money it's a proven fact.

Good luck

The cabinets are perfectly fine. It’s the dark counters and lack of light that is your issue. Spending 7-9K on professionally painting those great wood cabinets won’t fix those issues.

Those look like they would be difficult to paint, and the paint would decrease their value, in my view, but then I never liked painted cabinets unless they were painted from the beginning.

The first thing I would do is change the light fixture. The countertop does not bother me - I have very dark counters myself. I think dark counters look better with dark cabinets.

Painting those cabinets, which are in the style that has a lot of nooks and crannies, will be difficult and painstaking. Also, the dark color means a risk of bleed-through after you've spent all that money and time on painting them. Also, the cabinets are really attractive and elegant as is, and a ghostly white cover will not be doing them any favors.

I think your counter is actually more the issue, and furthermore, more easily fixable than painting or refacing the cabinets. Check out some of the lighter Quartzes, but avoid - at all costs - the Quartzes with the fake chunky veins. Also, brighter lighting. Also, replace the pulls for something more current and brighter. And, the stools seem dark and stodgy. Something colorful and peppy for the stools would help a lot.

We can't see the rest of the kitchen, but I have a feeling the backsplash may need a re-do too. If you update the counters, also look to updating the backsplash. But do so only after the new counters are in. Choosing a backsplash should not be done before the new counters are in, so I would wait.

I'd leave the pretty cabinets. Change the lighting - overall room lighting, and task lighting. Consider under cabinet lighting that will not cause glare.