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Shipping & Delivery

How a Majlis Is Packed, Shipped and Set Up at Your Home

See how a majlis set is vacuum-packed for international shipping, what arrives at your door, and how to unpack, air and arrange it along your walls.

Black and gold medallion Arabic floor couch in a U shape with ottoman, rug and three floor cushions
The short answer

Sofhu vacuum-packs its seating in sealed plastic bags, which compresses the foam so a full room ships as compact parcels. A floor sofa set arrives as separate seat cushions, backrests, armrests and pillows. Open the bags without sharp tools, let the foam expand, then place the pieces against the wall, starting from the corner. Floor sofas need no tools; for a raised majlis, ask how its units travel.

Packing method
Vacuum-sealed plastic bags
What arrives
Separate seat cushions, backrests, armrests and pillows
Opening
By hand; no sharp objects
Foam
32 kg/m³ polyurethane, no springs; expands once the bag is opened
Placement
Against a wall; the seating is not freestanding
Covers
Zipped and removable, with foam inserts included
Shipping cost
Free worldwide
On this page
  1. How the pieces are packed
  2. What arrives at the door
  3. Before the delivery: get the room ready
  4. Unpacking foam cushions safely
  5. Foam expansion after shipping
  6. Majlis setup: arranging the set
  7. Checking your delivery
  8. Who to contact

A full room of seating leaves the workshop as compressed parcels far smaller than the finished set. That surprises many buyers, and it is the key to how majlis delivery works across borders. The foam is compressed, the pieces are separate, and the set takes shape again in your room.

Sofhu makes two products, and they do not travel in quite the same way. The Arabic floor sofa is a low set of loose cushions, and most of this page describes it. The Arabic majlis is raised to sofa height and built as upholstered units with a solid base and fixed backs; Sofhu has not published how those units are parcelled, so ask when you order one.

This page describes that process using only what Sofhu has stated about its own packing. Where the company has not published a detail, such as the number of parcels for a given set, the page says so and tells you what to ask.

How the pieces are packed

Sofhu packs its seating under vacuum. In the company’s own words, the products are “vacuumed and carefully prepared”, and its sofas are sent in sealed vacuum packaging “to reduce the shipping cost and carbon footprint”.

The method suits this product for a simple reason. A floor sofa cushion is a block of polyurethane foam inside a zipped fabric cover. It has no springs and no metal. Foam is mostly air, so when a bag is sealed around the piece and the air is drawn out, the cushion shrinks to a fraction of its size. Open the bag and air returns to the foam.

Sofhu states that each product is inspected by its own staff before it is sent. All covers come with their foam inserts already inside, so nothing has to be stuffed or zipped on arrival.

This is also the short answer to how a sofa is shipped internationally when it has no frame: as compressed parts, carried by a cargo company.

What arrives at the door

You receive the set as individual pieces, each sealed in plastic. For a floor sofa set these are usually:

  • seat cushions, the long mattress-like pieces you sit on
  • backrests that lean against the wall
  • armrests for the ends of each row and, on long runs, between seats
  • loose pillows
  • any extras ordered with the set, such as an ottoman, floor cushions or a rug

How many parcels that makes depends on the size of the room and the layout. Sofhu does not publish parcel counts, weights or carton sizes, so ask for the packing list when your order ships. It is the document you will count against on delivery day. The names of the parts are explained in parts of a majlis set.

A thick gray and gold U-shaped floor sofa set with its matching rug: every seat, back and armrest here travelled as a separate bagged piece
The U-shaped Gray Ornate Illusion 8-inch set frames the matching kilim rug at the centre of a lantern-lit room with a carved wood screen.

Sets on a wooden base, and the upholstered units of a raised majlis, are a different case, because a frame or a solid base cannot be compressed like a loose cushion. Sofhu has not published how those are packed. If you are ordering a majlis or a carved-wood set, ask how the frame travels and what, if anything, has to be put together.

Before the delivery: get the room ready

A little preparation makes the difference between a calm hour and a room full of half-expanded cushions with nowhere to go.

  1. Clear the walls. Neither a floor sofa nor a majlis is freestanding. They need a wall or something solid behind them. Move furniture away from the walls the set will run along.
  2. Clean the floor. Vacuum or mop where the seat cushions will lie. If a rug goes in the centre, lay it first. The guide to rug sizes for a majlis helps if you are buying one separately.
  3. Find your measurement sketch. You will want the wall lengths you sent, to check the rows against. If you no longer have it, the method is in how to measure a room for a majlis.
  4. Put the knife and scissors away. Sofhu’s instructions are to use no sharp objects on the packaging.

Unpacking foam cushions safely

Sofhu’s user instructions are short and clear: do not use sharp objects when opening the packaging, and open the sealed vacuum bags carefully. Opening the bag is what starts the decompression.

In practice:

  • Carry each parcel into the room where it will be used before you open it. Compressed pieces are far easier to move than expanded ones.
  • Remove any outer wrap by hand. For the inner vacuum bag, lift the plastic away from the cushion at a corner or seam and tear it open there, keeping anything sharp away from the fabric.
  • Peel the bag off and lay the piece flat on a clean floor, with nothing on top of it.
  • Open one row at a time so you can keep track of which pieces belong together.

If the parcels have been through very cold weather, let them reach room temperature before opening. Cold foam is stiff and recovers slowly.

Foam expansion after shipping

Once the bag is open, the foam draws air back in and rises. Most of the height returns quickly. The last of it can take longer, and warmth helps.

Sofhu fills its cushions with 32 DNS polyurethane foam, which means foam with a density of 32 kg per cubic metre. Density describes how much material is in the cushion. Denser foam generally holds its height and support better over time than light foam, and published datasheets for foam of this density show it recovering close to its original thickness in standard compression tests. The guide to foam density for floor seating explains the numbers.

Sofhu gives no fixed waiting time, so none is given here. A sensible approach:

  • Leave the pieces lying flat and uncovered while they recover.
  • Air the room. New foam and fabric that have been sealed in plastic can carry a faint packaged smell at first, which clears with ventilation.
  • Smooth the covers by hand along the seams. Creases from packing ease as the foam fills out.
  • Do not judge the fit of a row until the pieces have had time to expand fully.
A taupe medallion U-shaped floor sofa set with ottoman, matching rug and three floor cushions
A full taupe medallion U-shape turns an ordinary living room into a family sitting room.

Majlis setup: arranging the set

There is no majlis assembly in the flat-pack sense for a floor sofa set. You are placing cushions in order.

Start at the corner. On an L-shape or U-shape, the corner fixes everything else. Place the corner seat first, then work outward along each wall.

Seats first, then backs. Lay all the seat cushions of one wall end to end and push the row firmly against the wall. Then stand the backrests on the seats, leaning against the wall.

Armrests last. Put an armrest at each open end, and at any point along a long run where the plan shows one.

Check the ends. A made-to-measure row should finish where your sketch says it does: at the door frame, the corner or the mark you chose. If a row seems long or short, wait until the foam has fully recovered and check again before contacting anyone.

Add the loose pieces. Pillows, ottoman, floor cushions and rug go in once the perimeter is set.

The design is modular, so pieces can be rearranged later if you move house or change the room. The cushions sit directly on the floor and, as Sofhu notes, do not scratch it.

A single beige medallion majlis unit seen from the side, showing its layered seat, the backrest and the scalloped armrest
The side profile of Beige Medallion reveals its two stacked mattresses and plain end panel.

Checking your delivery

Do this on the day, while the packaging is still in the house.

CheckHow
Parcel countAgainst the packing list, before the driver leaves
Bag conditionLook for tears, punctures or damp
Fabric and colourCompare with the photos agreed at order
Zips and seamsRun each zip a short way; look along the seams
LengthsLay out each row against its wall
Piece countSeats, backs, armrests, pillows, extras

Photograph anything that looks wrong before you move or wash it, including the outer packaging. Keep the packaging until you are satisfied.

Who to contact

For anything about the order, contact Sofhu directly on WhatsApp or by email at support@sofhu.com, with your name, order details and photos. The company lists its hours as Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 6 pm.

For anything about where the parcels are, the carrier is the first call. Sofhu does not name its cargo companies publicly or describe how orders are tracked, so ask for the carrier’s name and any tracking reference at dispatch.

Shipping is free worldwide. Customs duties or taxes may apply depending on the destination, and it is worth asking how they are handled before you order. The same goes for anything this page could not answer from published information: parcel counts, delivery estimates and how transit damage is resolved.

If you have not ordered yet, start with how to buy a majlis online, see what a complete majlis sofa set includes, and read how the Arabic furniture store works. The steps from first message to dispatch are in how to order a custom majlis online. When you are ready, send your wall measurements through the quote form.

Questions

Before you order

How is a majlis shipped overseas?

Each piece is compressed in a sealed vacuum bag, which removes most of the air from the foam and shrinks the parcel. Sofhu says it does this to reduce shipping volume and carbon footprint. The bagged pieces travel with an established cargo company and are delivered to your address as a set of compact parcels.

Does a majlis need assembly?

A floor sofa set is placed, not built. Seat cushions go on the floor, backrests lean against the wall and armrests sit at the ends. There are no screws or fittings. Sofhu has not published assembly details for its raised majlis units or its wooden-frame lines, so if you are ordering one of those, ask what arrives ready-made.

How long should foam air after unpacking?

Sofhu's instructions say that opening the bag starts the decompression, and they give no fixed time. As a general rule for compressed foam, most of the shape returns quickly and the last of it more slowly, faster in a warm room. If a piece still looks flat after a few days, send Sofhu a photo.

What should I check when it arrives?

Count the parcels against the packing list, if Sofhu has sent one, before the driver leaves. Look for torn or punctured bags. After opening, check each piece for the right fabric and colour, working zips and clean seams, then lay the row out along the wall to confirm the lengths match the measurements you sent.

What if something is damaged in transit?

Photograph the outer packaging and the damage before moving anything, note it on the carrier's delivery record if you can, and contact Sofhu on WhatsApp or by email the same day with your order details. Sofhu does not publish its damage procedure, so ask how such cases are handled before you order.

Can I keep the vacuum bags to store the cushions later?

The bags are packaging, and once opened they will not reseal the way the workshop sealed them. For seasonal storage, keep cushions uncompressed in a dry place, standing on edge or stacked loosely. Long periods under heavy compression are hard on any foam, so avoid home vacuum storage bags for seat cushions.

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