It is not necessary to consider the history of free standing cabinetry in order to contemplate its use today. However, I think by considering some history it enables us to appreciate the decisions on how freestanding kitchen cabinets may be used today.
The kitchens from the AD 17th century should probably be included, but places like England thatched roofs with open hearths on the floor without chimneys were still in existence though probably rare, not worth trying to find examples of that sort of setup would be difficult and not add much to this topic for the effort.The oldest period worth considering is after chimneys were commonplace but before cast iron cookstoves became widely available. That timeframe corresponds roughly to AD 1700 through 1820s. Essentially the focus here is on a kitchen with an open hearth with a chimney.
An example of kitchen furniture of an AD 18th century kitchen is that of the Allen House in North Carolina, albeit it is a one room cabin. A photo taken by David Walbert for LEARN NC is published on flickr. The same flickr photo is also published as part of the article "Cooking in the 1800s" found here. More photos can be seen on the Explore Southern History webpage. I have been to the Alamance battleground and visitor center and walked around the cabin but it was closed a the time, so I could not take my own pictures of the interior. The desk was used to conduct business, so it is not kitchen furniture, but the high shelf on the mantel, two tables and shelving unit are. All of these are utilitarian and consistent with Quaker living. Equivalent non-Quaker kitchens would have funiture that is more stylistic but even so other styles were rather plain. The aim of this example is to recognize that the kitchen furniture has utility; this is not a surprise as even modern kitchens feature only cabinets / furniture with utility. Almost never do you see a display case or curio cabinet in a kitchen, and the instances I can recall when those cabinets were in or near the kitchen was because there was no clear delineation / transition between family room or den or dining area and that of the kitchen.