What Was the Original Kitchen Cabinet

Kitchen cabinets are an essential storage solution in kitchens today, providing space to organize dishes, cookware, appliances, and more. However, early kitchen cabinets looked quite different from the modular, standardized options we know now.

To understand the origins of the kitchen cabinet, we must go back to when cooking spaces began transitioning into dedicated kitchen rooms in homes.

Early Kitchen Cabinets in Colonial Homes

In early American colonial homes, cooking was done over a fire in open hearths. There were no formal kitchen spaces or built-in cabinetry.

As the 18th century progressed, some wealthier households added separate summer kitchens to isolate cooking heat. Rooms featured sturdy wooden shelving built into the walls to store iron cookware, ceramics, and some dry goods.

Primitive Storage Solutions

• Wall shelving held heavy iron pots, limited dishware
• Baskets stored root vegetables and apples
• Barrels held grains, flour, sugar, rum, and salted meats

Colonial kitchen cabinets were truly basic wooden shelving, a far cry from today's storage solutions. But they marked early progress in dedicated kitchen storage.

Transition to Indoor Cookspaces

As the 1700s progressed, hearth cooking transitioned into indoor brick-oven cookspaces, forerunners of kitchens. Now located inside homes, built-in wall cabinetry stored cookware near the oven.

Wealthy households added more specialized storage furniture like dough dressers for baking. But cabinetry remained simple fixed shelving for over a century.

Victorian Era Kitchen Cabinets

The Victorian era (1840-1900) brought enormous cultural and architectural changes, including more modern kitchens.

Pantry Cabinets Emerge

Dedicated kitchen pantries became popular, with enclosed storage cabinets and deep drawers holding dry goods. Pantries supplied materials conveniently to the work triangle of sink, stove, and prep space.

• Cellarettes stored wine and root vegetables
• Spice cabinets for teas, herbs
• Deep drawers held utensils

Cabinetry remained fixed in place but increased storage efficiency with specialty items like spice drawers within cabinets. Closed cabinets also reduced kitchen clutter.

Improved Cabinet Materials

The Victorian obsession with domesticity encouraged investment in kitchen furnishings like cabinets. By late 1800s, cabinets featured:

• Enamel panels on doors in early modular cabinets
• Carved ornamental details for aesthetic appeal
• Durable furnishings like porcelain handles

Styles shifted from purely utilitarian shelving to decorative, durable cabinets as important kitchen investments.

Effects of Industrialization

The Industrial Revolution impacted cabinetry in several key ways:

New Equipment Changed Kitchens

New appliances like sinks with running water, stoves, and iceboxes required storage accommodation. This drove demand for bigger, more equipped kitchen spaces. Pantries and cabinetry expanded to manage inventory. Storage became more specialized:

• Bread boxes
• Coolers for ice blocks
• Pots and pan storage
• Small bins for scales, flour sifters

New Materials Enabled Innovation

Workflow Efficiency Focus

Understanding kitchen tasks and workflow boosted productivity through specialized storage, like:

• Flour and sugar containers near mixers
• Pots and pans near cooktops
• Towels, soap near sinks

Ideas about efficiency and custom-designed storage shaped modern cabinetry priorities and physical footprints.

Common Early Styles and Materials

By the early 1900s, several kitchen cabinet trends prevailed:

Oak, Maple, Cherry Wood

Hardwoods made durable cabinet boxes and frames:

• Oak : moisture-resistant, attractive grain
• Cherry: ages to deep red hues over time
• Maple: harder wood, budget-friendly option

Softer pine painted well but dented easily. Veneers introduced budget wood finishes to basic cabinet boxes.

Common Cabinet Door Styles

Door styles reflected popular architectural trends:

• Flat panel: Basic slab door, easy to wipe down
• Raised panel: Dimensional detailing on outside frame
• Inset panel: Old-world style with inner frame

Ornamented doors gave traditional flair. Embellished ladies preferred more decoration inbutler's pantries and sculleries.

Introducing Modular Cabinetry

Early 20th century companies like Sears Roebuck sold cabinets with interchangeable parts, featuring:

• Interchangeable doors, drawers, shelves
• Removable legs for freestanding cabinets
• Unit components customers could combine and configure

Buyers selected cabinet pieces from catalogs to customize storage. This revolutionized modularity and customization.

Innovations in Storage Solutions

New storage solutions improved kitchen organization:

Pull-Out Cabinets

Drawers and roll-out trays gave access to back areas. Improved kitchen work triangles minimized steps between cabinets, counters, and appliances.

Lazy Susans

Spinning trays, like "Lazy Susans", enabled corner storage access. They remain popular organizer tools.

Specialized Storage

Advanced storage accommodated a growing toolset of electric appliances. Niche storage needs included:

• mixer shelves
• electrified knife drawers
• sliding bins for juicers, toasters

Plastic Organizers

New plastic containers conveniently held kitchen staples:

• Spice jars liberated dry goods
• Tupperwares improved pantry access
• Cutlery divided knives, forks, spoons

Specialized organizers reduced utensil clutter in cabinets and drawers.

Contemporary Kitchen Cabinet Trends

Today's kitchen cabinets continue advancing with homeowners' needs, reflecting popular styles and priorities:

Comeback of Traditional Shaker

The no-fuss flat Shaker cabinet style blends seamlessly into contemporary and traditional kitchens.

Two-Tone Kitchens

Two-tone cabinets with light upper and dark lower colors delineate work areas. This pairs with bold painted or stained kitchen islands.

Open Shelving

Shelving displays attractive dishware and reduces upper cabinet bulk. Bare spaces add architectural interest.

Smart Cabinet Storage

pull-outs with lift mechanisms give easy access. Drawers divide cutlery and cooking gadgets. Appliance garages hide small wares.

The Future of Kitchen Cabinetry

Kitchen cabinet innovations show no signs of slowing down. What's on the horizon?

Embedding Technology

From LED lighting strips to charging stations and finger-scan locks, kitchens will get smarter. These improve convenience and accessibility.

Sustainable Materials

Eco-friendly options like bamboo and recycled plastic components reduce environmental footprints.

The original kitchen cabinet may have started as rough shelving, but it remains an ever-adapting essential. As long as we cook meals and gather around kitchens, cabinets will reflect the tools, trends, and changing face of this important family space.