Decorators warm to olive wood, hue

Olive trees, native to the Mediterranean region, are among nature's oldest trees, and they look it. Gnarled, brawny trunks, a crown full of silvery leaves, and clusters of tiny green fruit give olives an interesting Old World look.

Designers have lately been warming to the tree, its wood and olive hues.

Olive trees

Outdoors, olives are hardy through zones 8-11, and zone 7 if you can protect them from wind. North of that, you'll need to bring them in for the winter. In ideal conditions, they'll grow over 30 feet tall. Olives are fast growers and prolific fruit-bearers outdoors, if given favorable conditions. Don't over-water, prune the inside branches carefully so the whole tree gets lots of light, and increase the pot size after the first year. Dwarf varieties are easy to grow in a pot or basket, if given decent light and ample sunshine.

As an indoor tree, olives are less in-your-face than decor's current darling, the fiddlehead fern. That makes them easy to place even in a small room.

This undated photo provided by Article shows their tufted olive green velvet Chester sofa, which is a chic, sophisticated way to bring the trending color into a space. (Sarem Khan/Article via AP)

Pottery Barn is offering dried lavender and fresh olive branches in a relaxed and aromatic wreath. The retailer also has San Francisco photographer Lupen Grainne's soft-focused close-up of an olive branch as wall art -- a spare, intimate portrait to complement any decor style (www.potterybarn.com).

Olive wood

The wood's distinctive characteristics -- its smooth density and interesting grain pattern -- have made olive furniture and accessories popular.

"There's a great sculptural quality to olive wood -- a simple bowl becomes an elegant art piece," says New York City interior designer and artist Mike Harrison.

Homegoods is offering a sphere crafted from olive wood, as well as a curvy side table and various bowls (www.homegoods.com).

This undated photo provided by Williams Sonoma shows their olive wood utensils which have a sculptural quality, with a pronounced grain, that makes them lovely additions to a serveware collection. (Williams Sonoma via AP)

Olive wood serveware can be especially nice; on a buffet, a platter laden with charcuterie, cheese and fruit is gastronomic art. A beautifully turned wooden spoon, with the grain curving about the form, is a sensuous tool. Williams-Sonoma has a collection of utensils and cutting boards, as well as pinch bowls and lidded salt keeper (www.williams-sonoma.com).

The colors

Olive's wide array of hues allows for versatility in decorating.

Its place in midcentury modern's color covenant has made it a popular paint hue the past few seasons. It pairs well with other toothsome colors like chocolate, orange, raspberry, cream and mustard.

"Olive tones are timeless, and green is an important color in 2017," says Sue Wadden, color marketing director for Sherwin-Williams. The company's Restless Olive packs all the punch of a zesty martini (www.sherwin-williams.com).