Furniture history is a hugely complex tale but I think the French first popularized beading, then cock beads became very desirable on English and American 18th century furniture. From thence it traveled to built-in cabinetry in the Victorian era, which was mostly not in the kitchen but rather the butler's pantry, china cupboard, etc. Cabinetry styles simplified rapidly after WWI, which, coincidentally, when kitchens started to get large expanses of built-in cabinetry.

"Cock beads"? I don't know what that means and honestly I'm afraid to Google it. Could you describe?

I've learned what I know about millwork from my 22 years experience working as a restoration carpenter in a historic village that was settled in the 1750's so the architecture spans the full range from late Georgian colonial to Victorian, but predominantly Federal.
What I've observed is that inset bead, with the bead from 1/2" to 5/8" wide, and of a much more flattened profile, without a flat-bottom quirk, is the earliest type, from 1750's to 1810's. The profile we now associate with beading came into prominence later, but completely disappears during early Victorian (they seem to have preferred a raised bead, which is proud of the surrounding surfaces). Then from the 1880's onward beading is used everywhere, but rarely around cabinet doors. Between 1885 and 1930, unbeaded inset was apparently the preference, I imagine for two reasons: earlier, it was regarded as out of fashion, and by the turn of the c. the "hygienic" craze was in full flower where a bead was seen as difficult to clean and a germ-harboring gutter.
Casey

I agree with Casey; beaded cabinetry and trim (base boards, window casings, etc) is very typical of colonial houses in America.