An Algerian salon, usually searched as salon oriental or salon algérien, is the reception room furnished with long cushioned seating along the walls. It belongs to the same Maghreb family as the Moroccan salon. Sofhu makes this seating to measure in Türkiye, as a raised Arabic majlis, on a wooden bench frame or as a low floor sofa, with 32 kg/m³ foam and free worldwide shipping.
- Names buyers use
- Salon oriental, salon algérien, salon arabe, صالون جزائري
- Family
- Maghreb salon, alongside Morocco and Tunisia
- First decision
- Raised (majlis or wooden bench set), or a low floor sofa
- Layouts
- Single row, L-shape or U-shape
- Sofhu foam
- 32 kg/m³ (32 DNS) high-density foam, no springs
- Covers
- Zippered and removable
- Shipping
- Free worldwide from Türkiye
On this page
If you are furnishing an Algerian salon, the question that decides everything else is this: do you want your guests at bench height or on the floor? Colour, fabric and layout all follow from that answer. Sofhu builds both kinds to your wall measurements, so this page is organised around the choices you have to make, in the order you have to make them.
What people mean by salon oriental
Algerian families shopping for reception-room seating mostly use French words. Salon oriental, salon algérien and salon arabe are the common searches, with صالون جزائري in Arabic and “Algerian sofa” or “Algerian majlis” in English. All of them point at the same thing: long cushioned seating that follows the walls of the room where guests are received.
The word sedari, which properly names the Moroccan wooden banquette, is also used loosely in French for seating of this kind across the Maghreb. If that is the word you grew up with, our page on the Moroccan sedari and salon marocain describes the frame, mattress and cover in detail.
What is documented, and what we will not invent
We prefer to tell you where the written record stops. The Moroccan salon has been described at length. The Algerian one has not, at least not its seating. Accounts of the old houses of the Casbah of Algiers describe their salons through chased copperware and neo-Moorish cabinetry more than through cushions and benches.
So you will not find a list here of what an “authentic” Algerian salon must contain. Algiers, Constantine, Tlemcen, Kabylie and the Saharan towns each have their own taste, and your family knows its own. What we offer instead is a maker who will build the seating the way you describe it: the height, the length, the fabric and the number of pieces.
First choice: raised banquette or floor seating
Either can furnish a salon, and both are in Sofhu’s range.
| Raised | Floor level | |
|---|---|---|
| How you sit | Upright, at sofa height | Low, legs folded or stretched |
| Best for | Formal reception, meals at a table, older guests | Family rooms, long evenings, children |
| Sofhu option | Arabic majlis, or a wooden bench-frame set | Arabic floor sofa |
| Moving house | Moves in sections | Lifts out cushion by cushion |
Sofhu has two raised options. The Arabic majlis is a fully upholstered set at sofa height, with a solid base, a fixed back and bolster armrests, and it is what most of the photos on this page show. The wooden bench-frame sets are a handmade wooden base along the wall with a long seat cushion and a fitted row of back cushions; the white-framed set with navy cushions shown above is built that way. The floor-level option is the Arabic floor sofa: a seat mattress on the floor, loose back cushions against the wall and armrests between sitters.
One rule applies to floor sofas: they are not freestanding. The backrests need a wall or a solid surface behind them, so plan every run against a wall.
Still undecided? Floor seating vs raised diwan compares comfort, space and upkeep in more depth.
Second choice: one continuous run or separate pieces
A salon can be furnished as one unbroken line of seating that turns the corners, or as separate sofas placed along different walls. Neither is more correct. They suit different rooms.
- A continuous L or U uses every centimetre of wall and seats the most people. It suits a room given over entirely to receiving guests.
- Separate rows leave gaps for a door, a cabinet, a television or a passage. They suit a living room that has to do several jobs.
- Two facing rows work in a long narrow room where a U would crowd the middle.
Because Sofhu is the manufacturer and cuts each set for its room, you are not choosing between fixed sizes. You give the wall lengths and say where the breaks should fall. The majlis sofa set page shows complete sets by layout and size.
Third choice: fabric and colour
The majlis in the hero image on this page shows one direction many formal salons take: pale beige velvet with a cream base embroidered in gold and edged with fringe. It is rich without being dark. Other directions shown on this page include navy on white wood, slate grey with fine gold stripes, black with cream key-pattern bands and a soft dusty blue.
Some guidance from the workshop side:
- Velvet gives the deepest colour and the most formal finish. Sofhu describes its velvet as durable and easy to clean. See velvet floor sofas.
- Woven jacquard with medallion or damask patterns hides everyday marks and suits a room where tea and sweets are served often.
- Linen-type weaves are the cooler, plainer option for warm rooms and a more modern taste.
Match the seating to something already in the room. A photo of your curtains or rug is more useful to us than a colour name. The guide on how to choose majlis colours walks through light, room size and contrast, and the complete list of fabric series is on the fabrics page.
What is inside the cushions
Whatever the cover, the seat is only as good as its filling. Sofhu uses 32 kg/m³ (32 DNS) high-density foam. That figure means a cubic metre of the foam weighs about 32 kg. It describes how much material is in the cushion, not how hard it feels. Denser foam generally keeps its height and support longer than light foam, which matters in a room where the same places are sat in every week.
There are no springs in the cushions. On a custom order you can ask for a softer or firmer feel. The covers are zippered and removable, and Sofhu states they can be machine washed at 30 degrees.
A salon for a flat in France or Canada
The largest Algerian community outside Algeria is in France, where people born in Algeria number somewhere around nine hundred thousand to a million, and many more families have Algerian roots. In Canada the community is concentrated in Montreal. Most of these households live in flats, where the reception room and the family living room are the same room.
That changes the plan. A full U on three walls is rarely possible. An L-shape on the two longest walls, or a single row facing the window, gives the feel of a salon and still leaves space for a dining table and storage. Measure only the walls you are willing to give to seating, and mark radiators and balcony doors, which are the usual obstacles.
Sofhu has no shops in France, Canada or anywhere else abroad. Sets are built to order in Türkiye and delivered to your door, and shipping is free worldwide. Duties or taxes may apply depending on the destination, so ask before ordering. Our country pages for France and Canada have more, and French speakers can read about the canapé oriental in French.
How to ask for a quote
Send four things through the quote by measurement form or on WhatsApp:
- Each wall length, with doors, windows and radiators marked.
- Raised on a wooden base, or floor level.
- Continuous run or separate pieces.
- A colour direction, or a photo of the room.
You will get a quote for that set. To see the neighbouring traditions first, read about the Tunisian majlis and salon, or browse the full range of oriental sofa sets and Arabic sofa sets.
