An Arabic sofa is low, modular seating that lines the walls of a room: a firm foam seat at floor level, loose back cushions and armrest blocks, set out as a single row, an L or a U. Sofhu manufactures Arabic sofa sets in Türkiye to each customer's measurements, with 32 kg/m³ foam and free worldwide shipping. The raised, upholstered Arabic majlis is a separate product.
- Also called
- Arabic floor sofa, floor couch, oriental sofa
- Made by
- Sofhu, manufacturer in Türkiye
- Models
- Floor sofa, diwan floor sofa, wooden bench set, outdoor
- Layouts
- Single row, L-shape corner, U-shape
- Foam
- 32 kg/m³ (32 DNS) high-density, no springs
- Covers
- Zippered and removable, wash at 30°C
- Sizes
- Built to your wall measurements
- Shipping
- Free worldwide
On this page
Most people shopping for an Arabic sofa are deciding three things at once: floor-level or raised, how many walls to cover, and whether to buy a boxed set or have one made. This page takes those decisions in order. It is written by Sofhu, the manufacturer, and every Arabic sofa set we make is cut to the buyer’s own room in Türkiye and shipped free worldwide.
Arabic sofa in one paragraph
An Arabic sofa is low seating made of separate foam pieces, a seat, a backrest and an armrest bolster, placed side by side along the walls so that everyone faces the middle of the room. English speakers also say Arabic floor sofa, Arabian sofa, Arab sofa or Arabic couch. It has no springs, usually no legs, and it leans on the wall behind it. Its strengths are simple: it seats many people in little space, it comes apart for moving and washing, and it can be built to any wall length.
It is often loosely called a majlis as well, but Sofhu makes both and keeps the two apart. The Arabic majlis is raised, sofa-height seating built as fully upholstered units with tall fixed backs and arm bolsters. The Arabic sofa on this page is the Arabic floor sofa: a low cushion set at floor level that is easy to rearrange.
If you are new to the idea, what is an Arabic sofa gives the longer introduction.
Types of Arabic sofa
Arabic sofas differ mainly in how high they sit and what holds them up. Sofhu makes four kinds.
| Type | Seat level | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Floor sofa | On the floor | Family rooms, guest rooms, children |
| Diwan floor sofa | Thicker cushions on a deeper base | Older guests, a couch-like feel |
| Wooden bench set | Bench height on a wood frame | Formal salons, cafes, hotels |
| Outdoor set and sunbed | Floor mat or bench | Gardens, terraces, camps |
Floor sofa. The classic form. The seat mattress lies directly on the floor, protected by its fabric base, and the backrest stands against the wall. See the full range under Arabic floor sofas.
The red set above is the smallest useful Arabic couch set: one seat along the wall, an ottoman, a rug and three floor cushions, in an ordinary carpeted room.
Diwan floor sofa. The same idea with thicker cushions on a deeper base, so the seat is higher off the floor and getting up is easier. Sofhu’s diwan models, Çırağan, Lale and Oscar, can be ordered as a single row, an L or a U; details are on the diwan floor sofas page.
Wooden bench set. A bench frame with cushions on top. Sofhu’s Turkish majlis line uses a solid beech frame with hand-carved accents, and the bench sets on the cedar majlis page take the same floor cushions on a wooden base. These are the closest relatives of the Moroccan sedari, which is also bench height.
Outdoor. Benches and sofas in water-resistant fabric, plus a foldable mat with a backrest for trips. See outdoor majlis seating and the outdoor range.
The comparison floor seating vs raised diwan weighs comfort, space and tradition between the first two. If what you want is fully upholstered seating at sofa height, with fixed backs and piped trim, that is the Arabic majlis, and it has its own page.
Arabic sofa set sizes are built from your walls
There is no catalogue of fixed sizes to choose from, and that is deliberate. A ready-made set in standard modules leaves a gap at the end of the wall or runs past the door frame. Sofhu takes the wall lengths you send and divides the run into seats, backrests and armrests that fill it exactly.
That changes what you need to bring to the conversation. Not “which size”, but:
- The length of each wall the sofa will run along.
- Where the doors, windows, radiators and sockets are.
- Whether the corners are square or the room has an alcove or a pillar.
A U-shaped Arabic sofa set like the one above covers three walls and seats a large family gathering; the same model as an L would free the wall on the right for a cabinet or a television. Seat thickness is also your choice, and Sofhu offers several. For general figures gathered from published sources, see standard majlis dimensions; for the method, how to measure a room for a majlis. The existing guide to sizes, designs and textures gives more ideas.
Materials: foam, frames and fabric
What an Arabic sofa is filled with matters more than on a framed couch, because the foam is the whole structure.
Foam. Sofhu uses 32 kg/m³ high-density polyurethane foam, known in Türkiye as 32 DNS. Density is weight per cubic metre: it tells you how much material the cushion contains, not how hard it feels. Denser foam generally keeps its height and support longer, which is the quality a floor seat needs. Sofhu describes its cushions as firm, and softer or firmer foam can be requested. The cushions contain no springs or metal.
Frames. Floor sofas and diwan floor sofas have no frame at all. The Turkish majlis line is built on solid beech. Outdoor and bench sets use handmade wooden frames.
Fabric. The main families are velvet, linen, woven jacquard, chenille, knitted fabrics and suede-type cloth. Velvet is durable and easy to clean; linen is porous and feels fresher in hot weather; chenille sheds very little. Every cover is zippered and can be removed and washed at 30°C. The fabrics page lists the series, and the Arabic sofa care guide covers upkeep.
For the reasoning behind the foam choice, read high-density foam vs memory foam and foam density for floor seating.
Arabic sofas people ask for most
Sofhu’s shop is a showcase of delivered projects, not a shelf of boxed stock, so treat every model as a starting point that can be recoloured and resized.
- Star sets in navy, burgundy, green and turquoise: an eight-point star motif, a Sofhu design often chosen for Yemeni-style rooms.
- Kilim and medallion weaves in black, taupe, grey and red: geometric patterns that suit modern flats as well as traditional rooms.
- Sadu-style sets in cream with burgundy motifs, for a Gulf look.
- Plain velvets with contrast trim, the calmest option and the base of most modern Arabic sofas.
Browse them in the shop or by colour in the red and burgundy gallery and the black and grey gallery. For help narrowing down, see how to choose an Arabic sofa for your home and the piece on Arabic sofas as statement pieces. Complete sets by layout are gathered under majlis sofa sets.
Arabic sofa or Western sofa
Choose an Arabic sofa if you host often and want everyone in one circle; choose a Western sofa if the room is built around a screen and a few fixed seats. That is the honest short version.
An Arabic style sofa set uses the edges of the room and seats more people per metre of wall, since there are no arms or gaps between pieces. It moves house in parts and its covers go in the washing machine. A sectional gives a softer, deeper seat with a higher back, stands anywhere in the room and asks nothing of the walls. An Arabic floor sofa is not freestanding, so it cannot float in the middle of an open-plan space.
Plenty of homes keep both. The comparison majlis vs sectional sofa goes through it point by point, and mixing a majlis with Western furniture shows how to share one living room.
Delivery by country
Sofhu ships free worldwide from Türkiye, and has no local stores abroad: each set is made to order and delivered to the buyer’s door. Sets are vacuum packed for transport, which keeps the parcels compact; the foam expands again once the bags are opened. Import duties or taxes may apply depending on the destination, and you are welcome to ask about your country before ordering.
For local detail, see the pages for California and our guide to importing a majlis to the USA if you searched for an Arabic sofa in the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Qatar. Pricing depends on wall length, layout and fabric, as explained in what affects the price of a custom majlis.
When you have your measurements, send them through the quote by measurement form or on WhatsApp, and we will reply with a layout and a price for your room.
