faded? wood changes over time and to begin with has natural striations and light/dark range in tone. Thats all I see as far as color. Nothing bad or unexpected...the color is actually nice...must ask do you have good lighting???. the cabinets "falling apart"..... . Before you do anything you would fix them so they work, of course is critical. "showing signs of lots of use" -- there are ways to fix scuffs and dings and of course a cleaning is critical before anything is done. In short.....I wouldn't apply paint to every surface on the basis of what you state. Applying paint can of course be your OPTION. If you seek a change in synch with lighter surfaces you just put in, I might consider the uppers. What does the cabinet guy mean by "quality of wood" ?

Your wood guy is right. Restaining is not going to help. If you will be sanding and filling in holes and weak spots, then paint is the right idea. Posting a better lit front-on photo will help people make color suggestions. I’m a green lover, so I vote for a green that matches or complements the backsplash (which looks very pretty). The doors have a nice, simple shaker design.

I agree with green, Red!

My new favorite green for a kitchen is

I like the idea of green. The key would be to find the right one to blend with your backsplash tile. How about SW Halcyon Green?

I would need to know what you mean by falling apart? IMO if that was the case the counters should have waited so could you explain exactly what is happeng there. As for color I agree a soft green would be nice I find Pigeon F&B too blue .

These are closer up and another perspective of the kitchen. Does this give better idea?

I always liked the wood cabinets and tried to keep them as long as possible by touching them up and replacing hinges. That’s why I did the other stuff along the way. (Counters and backsplash) now we’ve reached a point where they don’t advise investing more in repairing the cabinets.

Can they be re-faced?

He said the quality of wood is really paint quality not stain quality. These cabinets are around 12 years old and it’s a busy kitchen they’re definitely showing signs of age.

They can definitely be refaced. But it’s unlikely that she could get the kind of greens suggested above. A kitchen this size will be an expensive refacing job. $20k would be my guess. Does anyone have an estimate for a professional paint job?

if you like the configuration and storage I would get new fronts. Looks like frameless so has anyone noted the condition of the carcasses....that would be to your benefit if they are intact. Glides can be replaced if needed on drawers. [are they falling apart?] You could put new wood fronts in stain of your choice. on all lowers .maybe one shade lighter.... get new uppers in wood or a painted of your choice from your door source. RE those super tall uppers..you can split into two and get an upper display w glass and the usable part could be made a more user friendly size. A nice upgrade for your space.