Although the thread is old, I will share my experience. OP says the wife would use the knife a few times in a month - not a daily user - and this is important.
I probably own 15 -20 or more kitchen knives; not table steak knives. My comments do not apply to tomato, grapefruit knives which are also used infrequently and thrown into a drawer.
A kitchen has limited counter top space. A wood block with a bunch of holes is not used. The chosen and used knives may not fit because they were not sold with the block. So I have wooden blocks in the garage. If anyone wants to come by, look and them and buy them, fine. Zip code 90066.
I did the research. In learning that there are at least three manufacturers of plastic material knife/edge protectors, I was able to find something for every knife, including cleaver edge protections. This allows options.
a. the never used, maintained kitchen knives are in individual protectors and stored in a clear plastic snapware storage container in the garage. Hence, there is water free, dust free, damage free storage.
b. the occasionally used kitchen knives are in individual plastic sheaths, flat in a cabinet over the stove top.
c. the special occasion Gerber long carving knives that came with wooden boxes (courtesy of shopgoodwill.com - people donated knives - one unit having the original papers and never having been used) are stored in a cabinet overlooking the dryer in the service porch.