Kitchen Cabinet Styles From 1850 to 1950

1850

• In the mid-19th century, kitchens in most houses were large rooms for cooking, eating and gathering. The kitchen was dominated by a large center table and a fireplace or stove. By this time wood stoves, on the hearth or standing alone, were becoming common. Belongings were few and storage consisted of a few shelves on the walls. Sometimes a free-standing jelly cupboard or pie cabinet provided storage for home-canned produce and semi-perishables such as pie, cake and bread.

Home Economy

• By the 1870s, a movement to make the work of women more efficient led to greater economy in the kitchen. Katherine Beecher, a prominent home economist, advocated careful placement of kitchen elements and special furniture to make storage and access easier. Free-standing cabinets on legs with designated storage for staples, such as flour and lard, became common. In this same vein, the step-saving Hoosier baking cabinet was introduced just before 1900.

Labor

• Economic booms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries led to domestic labor shortages. Most middle and upper-middle class women had to do their own cooking now, so kitchens became smaller to make work easier. Storage considerations became paramount to kitchen design and galley kitchens -- taking design clues from butler's pantries -- became common. Banks of custom, site-built upper cabinets -- usually clear-finished -- kept necessities at arm's reach. However, the desire to keep floors beneath cabinets clean meant that appliances and kitchen furniture were on legs, so lower cabinets didn't catch up until about 1920.

Stock Cabinets

• By the 1930s, ready-made cabinets were available to builders and homeowners. Building suppliers and retailers such as Sears made cabinets in dozens of sizes and configurations. Standardization made cabinets more affordable and easy to install. Covered in paint, this new uniform cabinet style was favored for its clean, modern appearance. By 1950, cabinets made of steel were an affordable, durable and easy-to-clean option.