Your own island: You want one, but can your kitchen really handle it?

Chopping, chatting and cooking – that's the idea behind kitchen islands you can cook on. Photos: AMK/dpa

A large open kitchen with an island for cooking in the middle – it's the dream for many.

"The kitchen island is, in a way, the symbol for the fireplace around which the whole family and friends gather to cook, eat and talk together," says interior designer Ines Wrusch.