Live with it for 6 months to a year and see what else you do not like about how the kitchen functions, layout wise before buying new cabinets.

looks big enough w the space adjacent to consider an island kitchen . but what are the goals for this area as I only see stuff around in totes and scattered a bit on floor.....its hard to know..... what is the space as of right now? need a budget and goals and sketch of kitchen and areas off to the sides. kitchen reno is a time to add in organization systems if you need such a thing....pantry type cabinets can be set up w other kinds of storage ..maybe a wall w hooks/cubby holes/ bench storage is something your home and its occupants can find helpful

If you paint your cabinets, you will want to paint them again in a few years. I have no idea why anyone paints cabinets unless they have bottomless money. If a space is bright, and yours is, dark cabinets can be really nice. Yours are. Plus, and who cares, dark cabinets are going to be "in" again soon. In a dark kitchen they are not good, that's part of why people began to sour on them because most kitchens are either poorly lit or dark. Of course, ABC is right as usual. Invest money in lighting - read online to learn how to place, or get free design help at a good lighting store. You will want several ceiling lights - can you put in cans at all? If not, unercabinet lights that are bright - yours look dim - and on dimmers. If you can't cut into the ceiling, you can do some kind of track or multihead. Overall this will make giant difference.

Before you add storage to the nook or wall, try to maximize the storage you already have. When we bought our new (to us) house 2 years ago, the very first thing I did was install pullouts to most of the base cabinets. They aren't as good as drawers, but they are considerably better than shelves. The next thing I did was add extra shelves to some of the upper cabinets. That allowed me to group short things (like plates and coffee mugs) on the bottom shelf (or two), and store larger things without stacking them. Putting short things on the bottom also makes it easier for me to reach more shelves without a stool. If you do these things, you have the opportunity to either get rid of or relocate things you rarely use - sometimes such items take up "prime real estate" in a kitchen, because that's where they've always been - not because it makes the most sense.