Have you tried Etsy?

You might see if there is a cabinet shop or even a good hobby woodworker nearby that uses actual wood for their projects instead of pressboard and laminate. The end size, shape and material choice, within reason of course, could be up to you and your pocket book but essentially, the project could very effectively be made using what are called "cutoffs", that is: the short ends of lumber (fancy or otherwise) that are left over after specific project lengths are cut. Tooling required for the project is relatively minor but finish time (gluing, sanding, staining, and such) is much of the handwork time to finish out and is usually charged as such. If you can find the aforementioned sources, make a simple drawing of what you want and have them bid on the project for you.

As we say at my house, the only reason they can charge as much as they do is because they have it and you/we want it. There are however, knife blocks available in different configurations and sizes if you have the time to browse Amazon or other sources.

Is there a way to PM you? My hubby's former furniture company will customize pretty much anything. Nancy

Schmidt brothers knives sells some of their blocks pretty reasonably. $80 to $150.

Check out Ann T' She posts here and makes beautiful boards and has made pieces for knives....Try Thibault's Table

^^^Me too. Don't want a big blocky thing on my counter.

https://www.amazon.com/Sharpener-Noble-Home-Chef-Organizer/dp/B01N4DRZK1/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1550151381&sr=8-3&keywords=knife+drawer+organizer+insert

I'm now leaning more towards a knife drawer or a good quality wooden magnetic strip. but my one hangup is that the current knife block fits in the alloted space perfectly, and it (somewhat) camouflages the uneven outlets behind it. (we're doing a kitchen reno one day, but it'll be a while.)

any brainstorms about what other things could go in its place? I'd be open to a wide, flat utensil bin, the general shape and size of what you see below. I already started looking, but haven't found anything yet.

PS: I love the look of the bodum knife holder we have right now, but it has a major flaw: it appears they put a "soft feel" coating on the plastic, which broke down over time -- I'm guessing it was the layer of cooking oils that gets on everything in a kitchen (some kinds of plastics can be broken down with oils). it feels sticky all the time, and I can't clean it off! not even with goo gone. isn't that weird? a bad oversight for a company that normally has well designed things.

Knife drawer, hands down.

If you have room for a knife drawer, that is way better than a block. One less thing to clean in your kitchen, for a start.

ooooh, I figured it out! I'll get 4 smaller square bins and put two on either side of the stove. we have a TON of spatulas and things, so this will be perfect.

knives can go in a drawer or on a magnet strip. yay!

Modern object or modernist thinking. The modernist chef wants things handy and no clutter. I need to see my most used knives. Magnetic strip. A knife drawer just under my main prep area for less used misc. knives and kitchen scissors, thermopen.

Most used spatulas/wooden spoons in a crock next to stovetop, the rest in a wide drawer. I need all my counter space for various cooking projects.

SeriousEats on knife storage, HERE

this is not the case for me. I'm ok with keeping important things stored on the countertop, I just want that storage to look modern. so many kitchen things are so old fashioned looking to me. so I'm pretty excited about the bamboo utensil holders I posted above. like I said, if I don't put a knife block there, then I need something else to hide the ugly crooked outlets behind it.

even though I'm thinking of a knife drawer, I have a feeling the magnet strip will win out. like you sleevendog, I want things to be out where I can grab them.

This is flat and wide though not exactly modern. I've had mine for over a year and love it.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B016BRC9MC/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I often wonder what grows inside those knife block slots .

dcarch

if you clean and dry the knives first, nothing to grow. but the magnetic knife blocks as above are a good solution. the schmidt blocks can be taken apart for cleaning. but, wood is naturally antimicrobial... if you clean the knives, it's probably not an issue, either.

I've had various knife blocks over the years. The main problem is they get maxed out, or not all the slots are the right sizes. I finally went with a magnetic knife rack because the are simple, clean-looking, take up no counter space, and allow for flexible arrangement of the knives. Magnetic knife rack

The thread ended a year ago - but I am also interested in a good knife solution. I am happy to keep most used knives out on the counter, and put less-used ones in a drawer. Ideally I'd love to have a magnetic wall knife rack, but it's more important to me to be able to see my spices on wall racks up at eye level (where the magnetic wall thingie would otherwise go). Plus I love my window above the prep zone. So my best option is to find a new and nice wood block. So, I'll start looking...

EDIT... I found a magnetic strip moveable counter-top thingie I like (hopefully), via Amazon! Not the one depicted above, but one that is upright and allows knives on both sides.

I went with a walnut magnetic strip above the stove, from amazon. you can choose many lengths and types of wood. I love it! the magnet is STRONG.

my original conundrum was that I wanted something big and wide that would hide two ugly outlets on the right. I found two walnut utensil holders at Target and stuck them together, so that works really well!

this is a kind of unsightly angle for the kitchen. the drywall covering the brick was very badly done and of course there was not much I could do to camouflage the under-shelf light. but this is all a band aid until we can get the kitchen properly renovated! (the shelf is not sagging btw, the camera lens warped it.)

Sounds promising...post a picture?

Magnetic. 2 strips on the wall above my prep. One for favorite everyday chef's and one for a row of misc parings. Drawer under the main prep has those used less often. The less objects on the counter the better but all kitchen situations are different.

A couple of years ago I got a cork drawer insert like this one. I LOVE it. It is the best I've even had. It's easy to use and never dulls the knives, and any knife, any size fits.

The one pictured is from the Container store, but googling found several suppliers.

sleevendog we actually have a ton of counter space, and too little drawer and cabinet space. our kitchen is weird. like that shelf above the stove? it's literally the only good spot for dishes. when we get a vent hood, it'll cause a major organizing challenge -- a long story best reserved for a separate thread. organizing this whole kitchen has been crazy, but we have it functioning well enough for now.

Kate, that is sweet! One of the best drawer organizers for knives I've seen.

B F, thanks for your link. I've saved it and may switch mine out. I did not see your pic until now. Always nice to hear from experience. I like that they have so many sizes and the full length can be used with out hardware involves...hidden hardware.

I'm a loon for good design, especially in a kitchen.

one caveat to that knife block design: some people think it sits too close to the wall. when I mounted it, I used nuts to space it away from the wall about 1/4". an easy hack and it looks fine.

B F, I could actually do that above my range! But with being right handed, I want my knives to the right of my prep station, which is already to the right of the range. But a great idea, maybe for cutlery I use less often.

I think if you've got more countertop or wall space, and less drawer space, the magnetic would work well. And I do love the way they look.

I decided against the magnetic as I tend to work fast at times. Fast sometimes translates to clumsy for me, and I could just see myself hitting the exposed knives and having a dinged knife blade or something worse. I had drawer space just for the knife insert designed for the remodeled kitchen. I love it so much more than the bulky knife block I've used for years. Anything I don't have to dust in the kitchen is a bonus to me. I'm finding the drawer insert, which sits just under my built-in butcher block (on an island, thus no spot for a magnetic strip), is fantastic. Easy to get knived into and out of. Plus space to the side for less-used knives, space in the front for specialty items like poultry shears, etc.

I don't hate the blocks, but having had one for years, I'd go with the knife drawer insert, or a magnetic strip.

I too found that the knives in the magnetic strip were easily dislodged and so ceased using it. If you must have something on the wall, I'd go with something like a case.

I actually have two of the cork things in one drawer: a larger one for the service knives and a smaller one for the steak knives. The blades just don't get dulled by putting them in and out of the cork. And, any knife fits - from the cleaver to the smallest paring knife.

CA Kate- My experience is different from yours. My magnetic knife holders are quite tenacious. Whether it’s a small knife or a cleaver, I’ve never had anything come loose. I ‘ve got two strips and they hold everything well from my expensive Henckel knives to my cheap, colorful coated knives. Maybe you had a magnetic strip that just wasn’t strong enough, or perhaps your knives had such a high stainless steel content that they weren’t held tightly.

The wall magnet needs to be strong enough to hold secure and have the proper spacer so your hand can easily take it off the wall. That is the issue with all things kitchen. Some work well and some are garbage.

My issue with knives, having so many...I can just quick glance and see the blade as so many handles are similar.

But as I said above, all situations are different.

If your kitchen is not set up efficiently, cooking will only be a chore and not enjoyable.

I don't know if you found something yet, but I found these on WestElm.com. They had a good assortment, and I thought rather different. They are made by Schmidt-Brothers.

BF, that looks good.

OT Question — how do you like your counter surface? It looks like large tiles. We need (want/need) to something for our small counter areas. Quasi-permanent. Hopefully modest cost. I like the look of certain tiles, but some don’t care for the grout or groove. I think your counters look nice.

Thanks.

I have what Shannon posted, the drawer block. We like it a lot, and have had for almost two years.

petalique I'm glad you like the counters. they came with the house and personally I don't love the look. but they're not the worst tile I've ever seen so I've learned to live with them until we can do our big reno. I like that these have kind of a "concrete" look to them.

one pro: you can put the hottest pots and pans on them. we've been doing it for years. zero damage.

cons:

grout. I'm not a germaphobe, and most of the grout on mine is smooth and seems clean enough so that usually doesn't bother me. but the other day I wanted to roll out dough, and it did give me pause.

uneven surface: the tile has a texture, so you can't write a note. plates and cutting boards wobble. it's super annoying.

wood frame around edge. I mainly hate it because that looks really outdated. plus there are areas where the wood warped and caused deep grooves that are full of crumbs and schmutz. disgusting.

Thanks, BF. “Outdated?” Sound like its for me ;)

I will never have a dime for a big reno (or a big Reno). My kitchen and stuff is Late Yard Sale and “CL Free.”

Maybe I could figure out how to do something like that — maybe in Orange (kidding), or something on sale.

When I roll out pastry or knead dough for more than 1 minute, I use either the corion ‘marble’ topped small “island” table (chestnut! Yard sale find while taking my car for a test drive after tune-up 40 years ago). Or, I use an enormous maple bread board/cutting board that I only use for pastry. I only damp wipe it, and to stabilize it, I put silicone bumpers at each corner. I also have a large rectangle of cotton duck/ muslin and a rolling pin stockinette. Rolling out thin pie dough, lattice tops and thin cracker dough it super easy and no rips, tears or sticks. Maple rolling pin with ball bearings (I have about 4-5 different rolling pins, one from late 1800s that I don’t use but keep because it’s cool and was my grandmothers. Younger people don’t want much of this stuff. I should start rehoming it.

Another counter option I’ve thought of is just plain old wood — even pine. I’d like it to be very affordable and look good. (Sure, that’s always easy).

I have a knife block, and one of those in the drawer knife boxes (shown above from CA Kate’s post). I bought some magnetized knife bars but must have watched too many True Crime episodes to feel entirely at ease having them mounted (albeit handy) in plain view of a glass kitchen door.

I bought a slew of small rare earth magnets to make a concealed magnet, pretty wooden covered knife bar, but couldn’t decide where to put the knife bar and ended up using some of the magnets for various projects. (No more sass from sewing pins, no more notes getting blown away by a fan.)

⚠️ Caution! With those very powerful magnets. No one with kids around should have them. You can search the whys if you have not already heard.

So, Thanks, BF. How do you like you knife bar? Be careful when cooking and reaching.