The wood for this stove by Michiel Martens and Roel de Boer needn't be chopped as whole tree trunks can be fed into it (+ slideshow).

Dutch designers Michiel Martens and Roel de Boer collaborated to create the wood-burning Spruce Stove, which uses the entire length of a log to heat a room.

"By gently pushing the trunk inwards during the burning process the experience subtly becomes a natural and informal time-indicator which holds the promise for long, warm and cosy evenings at the fireplace," said the designers.

The stove consists of a circular horizontal drum in which the fire is lit. An aperture at the end closes around the tree, accommodating logs of different sizes.

Serrated teeth at the top of a stand clamp the wood at one end, which is moved on wheels towards the flames as the log burns.

Spruce Stove was shown at Dutch Design Week 2013, which also featured projects such as Dave Hakkens' Precious Plastic recycling machines and Evelien Crooy's ink made from insects.

Here is some more information from the designers:

A new approach of burning wood, you can feed this stove a complete tree trunk. The opening is a diaphragm and encloses seamless around the tree.

During the firing you need to gently push the trunk inwards into the stove until the last part disappears. The fire is in directly connected to the length of the tree log. The longer it is, the more you can enjoy the comfortable heat of the stove.

The Spruce Stove arose from collaboration between Roel de Boer and Michiel Martens.

Two young individual designers both with a personal handwriting but carrying the same interests and curious conceptions.