In Riffa, where most homes are family villas with a separate guest room, the natural choice is a full U-shape majlis. Sofhu builds it in Türkiye to the three wall lengths you send, with corner sections, armrests, 32 kg/m³ foam and washable covers, and can make curtains and a rug to match. Shipping to Bahrain is free.
- Typical layout
- Full U-shape for a separate villa majlis
- Built from
- Three wall lengths plus door and window positions
- Extras
- Curtains, rug, ottomans, floor cushions to match
- Foam
- 32 kg/m³ (32 DNS); softer or firmer on request
- Shipping
- Free to Bahrain
On this page
A villa majlis is planned, not bought off a floor. Riffa, in Bahrain’s Southern Governorate, is a largely Bahraini residential city of family villas, and a villa here normally has a guest room of its own, set apart from the family’s living space. That room is bigger and more formal than anything in a Manama apartment, and it wants seating on three sides. A majlis sofa for Riffa is therefore, in most cases, a full U-shape built to the room. Sofhu makes it as an Arabic majlis: structured, fully upholstered units at sofa height with a solid base, tall fixed backs and arm bolsters. Its other product, the Arabic floor sofa, is a low set of seat mattresses and loose cushions that suits the family room.
Start with the three walls
The U-shape is two long runs joined by a run across the head of the room. To build one, Sofhu needs:
- The length of each of the three walls at floor level.
- The position and width of every door, including a separate guest entrance if the room has one.
- Window positions and the height of the sills, so the backs sit below them.
- Anything fixed on the walls: sockets, air-conditioning units, a built-in cabinet.
The guide on how to measure a room for a majlis shows how to draw this in ten minutes. A majlis lines the walls and needs a wall behind every run, which is exactly what a dedicated guest room provides.
Corners, armrests and the head of the room
Three details separate a planned U from three sofas pushed together.
Corners. The two corners are where a U-shape either works or wastes space. Sofhu’s sets join the runs with a corner section so the seat continues round without a gap.
Armrests. Armrest bolsters divide a long run into places. More armrests make a more formal room with fewer seats; fewer make a relaxed one. Decide how you receive guests and say so. The guide on how many people a majlis seats explains the reasoning.
The head of the room. The wall facing the door is where the host and the senior guest sit. Keep it unbroken, and put the richest cushions there.
A large room also allows a mix of levels: a floor sofa on the long walls and raised majlis seating on the head wall for older guests. Our piece on hosting elderly guests in a majlis shows how to do this without the room looking mismatched. The L-shape and U-shape page compares the layouts side by side.
Choosing fabric for a formal room
A villa majlis is seen in the evening under a chandelier and in the afternoon with the curtains drawn against the heat. Deep grounds such as red, navy and emerald hold their colour in both lights. The burgundy majlis at the top of this page has woven panels on every seat; the blue and navy sets above use a trellis-pattern base and silver medallions.
Sofhu’s range includes velvet, chenille, woven and linen series, listed on its fabrics page. Riffa’s summers are hot and humid, and a guest room is often closed between visits. Zippered covers that come off and wash at 30°C, as Sofhu states its covers do, are worth more in that room than any surface finish.
Fabric and trim are settled with Sofhu’s designers, by video call if you wish. Curtains, a rug, ottomans and floor cushions can be made in the same order so the room arrives as one scheme. The custom majlis page lists what can be specified.
Foam for a room that is used hard
Guest rooms see heavy use in bursts: Ramadan evenings, Eid mornings, a wedding week. The seats are 32 kg/m³ polyurethane foam, known in the trade as 32 DNS, with no springs. Density is not firmness. It tells you how much material is in the cushion, and denser foam generally keeps its shape and support longer than light foam. You can ask for a softer or firmer feel.
Delivery to a villa in Riffa
Sets are vacuum packed for shipping and regain their shape when the bags are opened; do not use a blade on the packaging. Shipping is free. Duties or taxes may apply depending on the destination, so ask before you confirm.
Send your measurements and photos through the quote form or WhatsApp. Sofhu’s page on Arabic sofas in Bahrain covers the country, the Bahraini majlis page covers the tradition, and the neighbouring pages deal with apartments in Manama and old houses in Muharraq.
