Interior designer The Christmas ins and OUTS for 2025 – and the Kmart decor that will totally transform your space

A top interior decorator has revealed her festive styling ins and outs and it’s bad news if your tree is dripping in thin tinsel, rainbow lights or perfectly matching baubles.

Zahli, of By Zahliis known for delivering high-impact interiors without the high-end price tag, or as she puts it, having ‘champagne taste on a beer budget’.

A proud Kmart devotee, the stylist has shared her favourite festive finds from the retailer this year, along with the Christmas trends she’s fully embracing and the ones she says have well and truly had their moment.

IN: Decorating with multi-use decor

With the cost of living rising, everyone is looking for ways to stretch their dollar further.

Being in Australia, a botanical Christmas is always on the cards and it’s really flexible theme that allows you to decorate with faux flora and fauna that you may already have.

Alternatively purchase a few bouquets like Kmart’s Artificial Native Bunch that can be spread beautifully across your tree and then repurposed and placed into vases for the remainder of the year.

OUT: Thin tinsel

Tinsel isn’t dead but thin tinsel is! Tinsel is one of the most inexpensive ways to take up a large amount of space on a Christmas tree without spending an arm and a leg on ornaments.

Consider purchasing double the tinsel you normally would and braid two pieces together to achieve a thicker, more luxurious look, otherwise, thin tinsel is out.

IN: Ralph Lauren Christmas

Anyone who is chronically online will know all about the viral ‘Ralph Lauren Christmas’ trend that many are leaning into for its opulent yet traditional holiday feel.

Usually opulence comes with a hefty price tag, which is obviously OUT.

But by integrating a few of Kmart’s Traditional and Natural Flocked Hanging Decorations your tree will instantly be filled with deep red, forest green and cool mint hues that align perfectly with the Ralph Lauren aesthetic while remaining affordable AF.

Purchase some plaid ribbon and tie bows (making sure to leave the bottom strands long) on several branches across the tree to really bring this theme home without breaking the bank.

OUT: Boring value pack baubles

Gone are the days where the only affordable Christmas decorations on offer were the pack of 100 baubles on the back shelf that were bound to crack, peel and shatter.

Instead of limiting yourself to a singular pack of pre-mixed baubles, opt to mix and match ornaments with different textures, shapes, colours and finishes to create a tree that is uniquely you.

A trio I’m thinking of integrating into my own tree are the Kmart Candy Gift Garland, Pink Candy Tinsel Baubles and the 24 Pack of Mini Decorations because of their varied size, ornament type and colour palettes.

IN: Scale

The bigger the bauble, the better. Integrating decorations across your tree that are larger in scale makes a major statement. You could do this with oversized baubles, big velvet bows or pretty poinsettias.

OUT: Colourful Christmas lights

Multi-coloured light overload is definitely out. Nobody wants to see an array of mismatched coloured lights choking an otherwise beautiful tree. Pick one coloured light (preferably a warm white) and a few different bulb shapes to create a layered, elevated effect.

IN: Making your own rules

The most important thing to remember about decorating for Christmas is that there are no rules… so you should lean into that!

If traditional Christmas colours aren’t your vibe, consider them OUT and replace them with whatever feels festive to you and yours.

Live by the ocean? Base your theme around Kmart’s Ocean Ornaments. Love to travel? Grab a few of their Travel Decoration Packs. Forgetting the rules and having fun is always in.