Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Painting over Lacquer

I hope this isn't too repetitive. I have a very large armoire with a lot of detail (4 doors, shelves on the inside, drawers on the bottom, grooves on the exterior). It has an orange lacquer finish and I'd love to repaint it (inside & out). The finish does not need to be lacquer, as long as it's something that would be easy to clean & smooth. My questions are: how do I refinish? and is it possible to do this without sanding? If sanding is required, does it need to be sanded down completely or just a bit for texture? I live in a very small, carpeted apartment and sanding this monster with all it's grooves would create a huge mess and would probably take more than I have in me. Many thanks in advance for your help!!!