It's one of the most frequently asked questions we get: can an olive tree live indoors? The short answer is yes, but it usually doesn't thrive for long. The long answer is more interesting, as it explains where things go wrong.
What an olive tree needs
An olive tree originates from the Mediterranean region and thrives on two things: abundant direct sunlight and a cool resting period in winter. In a Dutch living room, it gets neither. Behind glass, the light intensity is a fraction of what it would get outdoors, and the heating keeps the temperature around twenty degrees all year round.
The consequence is usually seen in February or March. The tree sheds leaves, the branches become sparse, and what remains is a trunk with some green tufts at the top. Often, more water is then given, which precisely makes it worse: an olive tree prefers to be too dry rather than too wet.
When it does succeed
There are places where a real olive tree thrives indoors. A conservatory, a bright hall with floor-to-ceiling glass, or a space that you don't or barely heat in winter. If you can place it in an unheated but frost-free space from October to April, it will survive the winter and sprout again in spring. Without that resting period, it will decline year after year.
That is precisely the core of the problem: the place where you want the tree is usually not the place where it thrives.
The alternative
If you want the shape of an olive tree in your room, but without the seasonal hassle, then an artificial olive tree is the honest solution. It looks just as good in the darkest corner as it does in front of the window, it doesn't shed leaves on the floor, and in February, it looks the same as in July.
What to look for when choosing one: examine the trunk and the color of the leaves. A good artificial olive tree has a trunk with real grain and uneven branching, and leaves in multiple shades of grey-green instead of a flat color. Up close, you will always see the difference with a living tree. From two meters, where people usually stand in a room, almost never.
What size
Measure your ceiling and subtract at least twenty centimeters. For a standard ceiling of 260 cm, you'll end up with a tree of 180 to 210 cm. If you have a mezzanine or a high bay window, 240 or 260 cm will be more proportionate. If you place it next to a sofa, choose something that extends above the backrest.
Don't forget the pot. A two-meter tree in a flimsy nursery pot will look out of place; a flowerpot that takes up about a quarter of the total height will make it look established.
In short
A real olive tree can live indoors, provided you have a bright space and can store it in a cool place in winter. If not, it's not a matter of better care but of the wrong plant in the wrong place. In that case, artificial is not a compromise but simply the better choice.