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K Laurence has the right idea!
Your cupboards are fine.Painting them is a spendy and less than ideal fix.
Do remove the stuff on top.
Try installing much lighter counters and backsplash,then repainting the walls in a whiter shade.
These more economical changes should lighten your kitchen substantially and obviate the need to muddle the cupboards.
Also reassess lighting needs.
You may end up with a cleaner crisp looking chocolate/latte hued welcoming space.

Also take time to reassess lighting.

OOPS ! double advised on lighting.

I wouldn't paint the cabinets but paint the walls a creamy white, replace the countertops and backsplash to a light colour (white marble quartz), and bring in a touch of colour that suits your taste and surrounding decor.

with roman shades

I couldn't live with windows that have "prison bars" on them 24/7, so I would remove those shutters and replace them with some blinds that could be fully open for part of the day, which would definitely brighten the kitchen.

1) First remove the backsplash and paint the walls and backsplash area a light off-white color.

2) Did that lighten up the kitchen enough? If yes, then find a tile in a similar color to the light paint color for the backsplash.

3) If still not light enough, then look for a lighter countertop and backsplash.

Also check what lumens and kelvins you have for those recessed lights. Looks like you could find new recessed lights that are a bit whiter (3500K+) and brighter (more Lumens).

PS. I know some people love their plantation shutters! I find them depressing and why pay for large window that you then block with permanent shutters!

Sorry but dark shutters in a space you spend more daylight hours in than any other space , not in my world.. All the stuff on top of the cabinets is so dated. The backsplash also dated. Good lighting , IMO all bulbs lLED 4000K and no shutters are cheap to change so start there .

Plantation shutters can be sprayed white in painter's booths at their workshops.

@Chispa has the right idea. You do this work in stages to see if you can brighten enough without having to paint your cabinets.

A good professional paint job that will give you factory quality, durable finish costs almost as much as new cabinets. Any paint job short of that will not be long lasting and start to chip and ding with the brown stain showing through the top white coat. Many house painters and cabinet painters cut short the process or use paints not meant for protecting these surfaces. A mid-level paint job will devalue your cabinets quickly.

I would not paint the cabinets. Instead, I would do the following:

1. Remove the backsplash....it is too dark and does not compliment the counters. Paint the walls a creamy white.

2. Get new hardware for your cabinets in a lighter metal.

3. Replace island lights with something in lighter metal.

4. Remove stuff from top of cabinets.

5. New bar stools....no more of the dark metal frame and dark fabric.

6. A runner in a nice light colored pattern.

Once these fixes are made, then re-evaluate if you need to do anything else.

First? I see no REASON to have any covering whatsoever on the minimal and very narrow windows, If you must? Get something that can be "disappeared"

Would I paint the cabinets? I would.........but! I see an awful lot of DOOR bases, and inconvenient storage, that would be better as some DRAWER bases. I'd also ask if the venting was sufficient over the cook top which seems 30" hood over 30" and not 36, over 30"

The pendant lights are utterly inadequate, the backsplash is dated, busy and dark.

So...the first thing you do is remove the inside mount shutters...then decide a budget. Show the rest of your spaces near here as well..... I am sure the kitchen is open to a breakfast, family room etc?

Ditch the stuff on top of the cabinets, too.

I'd love the see the upper cabinets, both flanking the hood, GONE unless you desperately need them. A wider hood, and make SURE you love your cook appliance before anything. Some great sconces would be nice where those cabinets are?

The bottom line? Do you love everything about the kitchen BUT the darkness: ) ?

There is no counter stool change, no hardware change, that will change the "dim"

Cabinet color, backsplash, more ELECTRICAL, shutter removal .....will.

The visual that lisedv posted shows how just the few changes everyone is suggesting would look. and it's really nice.

Can I bring light into a room while blocking all light out--that's the question you asked. No, no you cannot. Those shutters are a throw back to when we didn't have proper heating/cooling ability and ya needed to keep out the elements. Ya really need to let them go. #1 all the windows in a home do not need matching treatments. #2 If you showed us bet most of your rooms could be improved by modern treatments. The color of the cabinetry is on the uptick. It doesn't make sense to change the one thing from now that is popular. Painting the cabinets won't change their raised panel design, or the truth they are not 'to the ceiling' cabinetry. Focus on what's no longer from this decade as delineated above. Swapping/painting cabinetry is a pricy commitment so probably not where most would start.

You can keep dark floors and shutters and still make the kitchen feel lighter by increasing brightness at eye level and on horizontal surfaces. The quickest impact usually comes from changing the countertop and backsplash to lighter finishes, improving lighting output, and using a warm light wall color. If cabinetry still feels heavy after that, repainting cabinets in a soft warm neutral (not stark white) creates contrast that works well with dark shutters. Keeping finishes simple and minimizing visual clutter also helps the kitchen feel more open without changing existing fixed elements.

First thought is no - having lighter cabinetry with the dark shutters won't work well but you can try it to see if the result pleases you or not. The backsplash definitely needs to be replaced.