Transform Your Living Room Into a Festive Wonderland with Joni Lynne, the Christmas Decorator

Joni Lynne, the founder of Klaushaus, a Christmas decorating service, gives your home a festive makeover so you don't have to bother yourself with anything and can just enjoy the holiday.

The best part is that she'll also help put away the decorations when the festivities end!

How it all started

Klaushaus was founded after encouragement from a friend. According to Joni, she had gotten her close friend Sherril to buy some unique ornaments. Initially, Sherril wasn’t sure what to make of all the ornaments, but she was happy with the outcome.

“She helped me with the very first business plans and we started Klaushaus's first big project immediately, which was decorating Sherril's home with 17 trees!” Joni said.

Elaborating on the project, Joni said it was epic. They had so much fun placing 17 trees in Sherril's living room and creating a magical forest for her. A hidden surprise town scene was also added in one corner.

However, Joni shared that Sherril's health took a turn for the worse, and she passed away in February 2023. To honour her memories, Joni officially launched Klaushaus in October of the same year.

Klaushaus is mostly run by Joni herself. She added that if she was booked for a bigger project, she would have friends who would come and join forces with her.

Christmas had always meant a lot to Joni

In an interview, Joni explained why she chose Christmas as the main focus of her home decorating business.

“I have always LOVED Christmas and decorating and home DIYs, so Klaushaus was supposed to be Christmas plus all my home DIY projects that are always ongoing in my home. Eventually, I do want to have some pieces to sell as well.”

When asked how she usually spends Christmas, Joni said she and her family used to gather at her grandparents’ house.

Joni added that her extended family would come and the old folks would play cards while the younger family members would take it as an opportunity to catch up.

Balancing between two jobs

Aside from being a Christmas home decorator, Joni, a recording arts graduate, is also a bridal makeup artist.

According to her, balancing the two roles is not too complicated as most of her makeup jobs are booked very early in advance. However, it did become a problem when she was fully booked and had no choice but to say no to some inquiries.

“Otherwise I do try to push hard and fill my calendar to the brim every October to January for Christmas and Chinese New Year since it's my main busiest season.”

What does Klaushaus offer?

At Klaushaus, customers can choose from three packages. The pricing for each package varies from RM350 to RM2,500, depending on the size of the tree.

Customisation is also available. To discuss it further, the customer must fill out an inquiry form.

“In my inquiry form, I ask each person what their budget is, and we discuss what’s possible within said budget and then we can progress from there until they're happy with the plan. So the key is just to come ask,” Joni said.

Here are the packages offered at Klaushaus:

• Elf Essentials: This is a package in which the customer provides everything. All they need is someone to help put it all together.
• Santa's Starter Kit: This package is for customers who already have some decor items but want Klaushaus to get more and set everything up for them.
• Ultimate Christmas Kit: As the name suggests, this package is for those who want the whole deal (new tree, new lights, new ornaments). Klaushaus will buy the items and set them up.

Interestingly, Klaushaus also offers Packdown Service, which means they will pack everything for the customer once the festivities end.

Joni said she acknowledged how people hate putting away the decorations, so she offered to help them with a fee. Prices start from RM250 onwards and she will arrange everything from the storage containers and the tree bags.

Uniqely themed decorations

This year, Joni shared the craziest and most unique Christmas decor she had ever done: a Labubu-themed tree.

You can view the Labubu theme tree below:

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A post shared by Joni Lynne || Your Personal Home Decorator ?? (@klaushaus.co)

“There was also a magical Disney-style swirl tree which was fun. But I think the 17 trees at my friend's house still top the list.”

When asked about the best part of being a Christmas home decorator, Joni jokingly said Klaushaus allows her to live vicariously through other people's budgets.

However, like everything in life, Joni faced some business challenges.

According to her, she had lost count of how many times this year she was scratched all over her body from the wires. Additionally, Joni said it became a challenge when she received late bookings.

“It makes me so upset when stores have run out of everything and I can't get the customer the nice ornaments because it's all sold out. Please, please, please book early - like OCTOBER early,” she said.

Plans for the future

Joni said she also plans to offer decoration services for other festivities, adding it to her original plan.

“But there are some kinks I still need to iron out for Chinese New Year, Raya and Deepavali. I did some Halloween and Chinese New Year decorations last year to test it out so I think 2025 will be interesting as I try more ideas out,” she said.

She also hopes that as Klaushaus picks up, she'll find more unique ideas to prepare the 2025 festival plans well in advance.