A couple YEARS ago we did a post–olive trees are the new fiddle leaf. It was shortly after we got this faux one for the living room in our last house. We did a small roundup of favorite faux options but to be honest, at the time, hardly anyone was selling them. Now, fast forward a couple years and they are a lot more mainstream and there are some really great faux and real options out there! Recently we purchased two more, 1 real and another faux so I thought I owed you an update.
In April, I purchased a real olive tree online from here. Our local nurseries don’t sell them but we really wanted to give it a go. I chose the 5-6′ option and when it arrived it was over 6′ and sparse but CUTE! I planted it, fertilized it and put it in a sunny corner in the living room.  We got a TON of advice about it over the weeks since, but the most helpful came from a local arborist saying that while Idaho is warm and sunny (and dry!) over the next few months, it would  be best to put it outside to soak in all the rays it can and then pull it back in when it starts cooling off again.
Our bedroom balcony is the sunniest (and most protected from foot traffic), so we set Olive (that’s what we named her) out there for now. We’re all crossing our fingers we don’t kill this one.
We then purchased this faux one we purchased from Etsy got planted in its place and is a great scale for our living room with soaring ceilings.
Sources: Olive Tree, Pot, Sofa, Navy Sofa, Ottoman, Striped Jute Rug, Persian Rug, Leather Chairs, Striped Pillows, Floor Lamp, Throw Blanket, Navy Plaid Pillow, Wall Color: Alabaster by Sherwin Williams, Trim Color: Accessible Beige by Sherwin Williams, Windows: Pella, Floor: Ingrid  by Stuga Studio
It’s about 8′ tall but its in a planter with some dirt and rocks which brings it up about 7-8″ and I love the knobby trunk! It looks SO realistic. I had to laugh because our 6 year old said earlier this week “wow! our olive tree grew up so good!” If only they grew that fast! Haha. Here’s how it looks from the dining room. I’d still love to add some art to that wall that’s behind it so it’s kind of a guarantee at this point (under a year in this house) that things will still shift a bit.
Sources: Olive Tree, Side Table (vintage), Faux Stems, Vase (similar), Limestone Knot, Sconce, Light Tile, Dark Tile
This one below, that lived in our living room in our last house, is smaller and now in our bedroom corner! I actually think this would be the perfect spot for our live one in the colder months because the sun pours through these doors all day. I’ve moved this little guy all around and it looks good in EVERY room I put it in.
Sources: Olive Tree, Basket, Canopy Bed, Nightstands (similar), Lamp,  Duvet, Wall Sconce, DIY Over-Grouted Fireplace, Walls: Alabaster by Sherwin Williams, Trim: Lamp Room Gray by Farrow & Ball,  Floors: Stuga Studio Ingrid, Doors by Pella
And since there are so many more on the market now–here’s another roundup of all the best, including two live ones if you want to go that route!
#6 is our real one, Olive. #14 is in our master bedroom and #15 is in our living room!
1. Faux Olive Tree | 19.5″ | $68
2. Live Arbequina Olive Tree | 30-40″ | $68
3. Artificial Olive Tree in Pot | 5′ | $86
4. Olive Plant in Pot | 42″ | $98
5. Artificial Olive Tree | 49″ | $119
6. Live Arbequina Olive Tree | 6-7′ | $139
7. Faux Potted Olive Tree | 30″ | $144
8. Olive Artificial Tree | 7.5′ | $153
9. Artificial Silk Tree Olive Plant | 6′ | $165
10. Potted Olive Tree | 70″ | $175
11. Olive Tree | 5′ | $176
12. Faux Green Olive Tree | 6′ | $250
13. Faux Potted Olive Tree | 71″ | $299
14. Faux Olive Tree | 84″ | $399
15. Large Artificial Olive Tree | 94″ | $637
16. Mediterranean Faux Olive Tree | 96″ | $1,250
Oh my gosh I was so entertained with the comments of fake vs real haha! Hey do whatever makes you happy & be happy for other people because if someone has a fake plant next door to you, I’m sure it doesn’t affect your life at all. Do you guuurrl!
I bought the faux tree from crate and barrel based on your recommendation. What size circumference and height for a pot do you recommend? Trying not to bring too many home that I’ll need to end up returning! Thanks for your great feed!
The link for your olive tree, “Olive”, goes to a different tree than the Koroneiki Greek Olive tree link you had originally linked- is this one not the Koroneiki?
#1 is terrible in real life. Just want to warn anyone if they are considering it. The ones at Target were much more realistic and at a better price point.
Love both of these! Wondering if you could share the size of the planter you used for the real olive tree? I’m thinking of ordering one and want to make sure I have a pot to plant it in!