If I had Good Knives (*) I'd want to go for a purpose-made (by me) fitted chest -- probably not velvet-lined/padded, but made of some interestingly-grained reasonably-hard wood (black walnut heartwood, perhaps), finished only with (most likely) mineral oil.

(*) I don't have anything approaching good -- the best (for balance, shape, and edge-retention) are a c. 70-year-old ordinary home-kitchen butcher-knife, and a small Chinese-style cleaver from a 99-cent store.