These look like the 80s cabinets we had in our condo. What we did was to put new (wood or painted wood) door fronts on the existing cabinet boxes, and with new hardware looks totally different.

don't add any hardware. those cabs are MDF and melamine. either live with it like that, or save up and replace them.

if you look up "how to paint 1980's melamine/wood kitchen cabs", you see lots of how to's.

but for all of that work, maybe just replace the cabinets? or even reface the doors/drawers?

Aren't those cabinets 40 years old? I had them in a rental where I lived in the late '80's and I don't think they were new then. They have lived a long and productive life. I realize it's expensive to replace them, but it doesn't make any sense to put a new, expensive countertop on them. Even if you paint them you can't put pulls on them because the wood edges are the pulls. Refacing can cost as much as new because the doors are the most expensive part of cabinets. Don't waste your money on halfway measures unless you really can't see ever being able to replace them. If so, look at Formica for the tops.