Best artificial olive trees for small apartments
The Faux Real Touch Olive Tree 90CM suits studio apartments and desk corners. The Faux Luxe Olive Tree 160CM is ideal for 1–2 bedroom apartments with standard 2.4m ceilings.
Small apartments present a specific challenge that most faux plant advice doesn't address: scale. The same 180cm olive tree that looks perfectly proportioned in a four-bedroom house with 2.7m ceilings can overwhelm a 45m² apartment with a standard 2.4m ceiling and a living room that doubles as a dining room. Getting the scale right is the difference between a tree that makes a compact apartment feel curated and one that makes it feel crowded.
This guide covers the best artificial olive trees for small Australian apartments — studios, 1-bedrooms and 2-bedrooms in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and beyond — with specific size recommendations, placement strategies and styling advice for tight spaces.
The size question — what actually works
| Apartment type | Recommended height | Why it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio / under 40m² | 90–120cm | Adds greenery without competing with furniture | Desk corners, bedside, shelf styling |
| 1-bedroom / 40–60m² | 120–160cm Sweet spot | Statement height without overwhelming the room | Living room corner, beside sofa, entryway |
| 2-bedroom / 60–85m² | 160–180cm | Full statement presence, proportional to space | Living room anchor, dining room corner |
| Open-plan / 85m²+ | 180cm+ | Fills the vertical and horizontal space correctly | Zone definition, entryway, living room feature |
Best products for small apartments
The most versatile compact olive tree we offer. At 90cm it suits desk corners, bathroom shelves, bedroom windowsills and small balconies equally well. The real touch PE foliage is convincing at close range — important for a tree that will be seen up close in a small space rather than from across a large room.
Shop 90CM olive trees →The ideal height for standard Australian apartment ceiling heights. At 160cm it reads as a genuine statement tree without overwhelming a compact living room. The slimmer branch spread compared to the 180cm version means it sits comfortably against a wall or in a corner without encroaching on circulation space.
Shop 160CM olive trees →The most popular size across Australia — and for good reason. At 180cm with a standard 2.4m ceiling it works well in 2-bedroom apartments where the living room is genuinely large enough to accommodate it. Avoid this size in rooms under 15m² — it will feel too dominant. In larger apartment living rooms it's exactly right.
Shop 180CM olive trees →For apartments with higher-than-standard ceilings — the newer high-rise builds in Sydney's Barangaroo, Melbourne's Docklands or Brisbane's inner city often feature 2.7m+ ceilings. The multi-branch spread fills vertical and horizontal space in a way a single-trunk tree can't. Not for standard-ceiling compact apartments — the canopy spread needs room.
Shop Giant Multi Branch →Placement strategies for tight spaces
In a small apartment, placement determines whether a faux olive tree makes the space feel bigger and better considered, or cramped and cluttered. The rules are different from large homes.
Position the tree in the corner diagonally opposite the entrance. This draws the eye to the furthest point of the room, which makes the space feel deeper. A tree placed near the entry creates an immediate visual stop — the opposite of what small rooms need.
In a bedroom, place the tree beside the bed rather than behind the headboard. A tree directly behind a bed competes with the headboard visually. Beside the bed — at the foot or beside the bedside table — it anchors the room without competing with the bed as the focal point.
In a studio where living and sleeping share one space, a 90–120cm faux olive tree placed at the boundary between zones creates a soft visual divider. It defines the living area without a wall, and the organic shape of the olive tree reads less visually heavy than a bookcase or screen.
Apartment entryways are often the tightest spaces in the building. A 120–160cm olive tree in a tall, narrow pot — fibrestone or ceramic — with branches shaped to reach upward rather than outward makes a strong first impression without blocking circulation. Shape the branches vertically before placing.
The small apartment rule on pots: In a compact space, a taller, narrower pot looks more proportional than a wide squat one. A pot that's 40–50cm tall and 20–25cm in diameter takes less floor space than a wider low bowl, gives the tree extra visual height, and suits the vertical proportions of apartment living. Avoid wide-brimmed pots in rooms under 15m².
Why small apartments suit faux olive trees particularly well
This might seem counterintuitive — surely real plants work just as well in a small space? In practice, small apartments are where faux plants have the clearest practical advantage over real ones.
Light is the main constraint. Many inner-city apartments — especially in Sydney and Melbourne's older building stock — have limited natural light, south-facing aspects or windows that face directly onto adjacent buildings. Real olive trees require genuine sunlight to thrive indoors. A faux olive tree looks identical whether it's receiving 6 hours of direct sun or sitting in a corner with no windows. For most small apartment dwellers, this isn't a preference — it's the only practical option for having a large statement plant.
Space constraints make quality more important, not less. In a large house, a budget faux tree in a back corner might go unexamined. In a small apartment, everything is seen up close, frequently, by both residents and guests. The difference between PE foliage and PVC is invisible from 5 metres — in a 45m² apartment, nothing is ever 5 metres away. Quality matters more in small spaces, not less.
No mess. Real indoor plants in small apartments mean watering schedules, fallen leaves, soil spillage and the risk of moisture damage to floors and furniture. In a compact living space, this maintenance overhead is proportionally more intrusive. Faux plants eliminate it entirely.
As seen in Australian editorial publications
"One of the most realistic faux olive trees we've come across — a natural-looking trunk, irregular bendable branches and soft silvery-green foliage that closely mimics the real thing."
— Style Curator, June 2026 · Read the full feature →
Frequently asked questions
What size artificial olive tree is best for a small apartment?
For most Australian apartments with standard 2.4m ceilings, 120–160cm is the sweet spot. A 160cm tree reads as a genuine statement without overwhelming a compact living room. Studios and very small spaces suit 90–120cm. Reserve 180cm+ for apartments with larger living rooms or higher-than-standard ceiling heights of 2.7m or more.
Can you put a faux olive tree in a small apartment bedroom?
Yes — a 120–160cm faux olive tree works beautifully in a bedroom. Position it beside the bed rather than behind the headboard, and choose a tall narrow pot rather than a wide one to keep the footprint compact. Faux olive trees are completely safe in bedrooms — no pollen, no watering required and no light needed, which is ideal for bedrooms that often have limited natural light.
How do I style a faux olive tree in a studio apartment?
In a studio, use the tree to define zones rather than placing it in a corner as pure decoration. A 90–120cm tree at the boundary between your sleeping and living areas creates a soft visual divider that separates the zones without a physical barrier. Keep the pot narrow and tall to minimise the floor footprint, and shape branches vertically to add height rather than spread.
Do faux olive trees work in apartments with limited light?
This is one of the main reasons faux olive trees suit Australian apartments so well. Real olive trees require genuine sunlight to thrive indoors — south-facing apartments, rooms that overlook adjacent buildings, or deep living rooms with limited window area can't sustain real olive trees long-term. A quality faux olive tree looks identical regardless of light levels, making it the practical choice for most inner-city apartments.
What pot size works best for a faux olive tree in a small apartment?
In a compact space, choose a taller and narrower pot over a wide low bowl. A pot 40–50cm tall and 20–25cm in diameter takes minimal floor space, gives the tree extra visual height and suits the vertical proportions of apartment living. Avoid wide-brimmed pots in rooms under 15m² — they make small rooms feel more cluttered. See our pots and vases collection for apartment-friendly options.
Find your perfect apartment olive tree
From 90cm compact pieces to 180cm statement trees — every size ships from Sydney within 4 business days. 14-day returns on every order.
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