In Quebec, Arabic seating usually means a salon marocain: a wall-to-wall bench at sofa height. Sofhu makes the raised Arabic majlis, including wooden-frame designs, and the low Arabic floor sofa to measure in Türkiye, with 32 kg/m³ foam and washable covers, and ships them free to Montreal, Laval and the rest of the province.
- Made by
- Sofhu, manufacturer, in Türkiye
- Seat level
- Raised majlis and wooden-frame sets, or low floor sofas
- Sizing
- Wall to wall, from your measurements
- Foam
- 32 kg/m³ (32 DNS) high-density foam
- Covers
- Zippered, removable, washable at 30°C
- Shipping
- Free worldwide, including Quebec
On this page
Ask for an Arabic majlis in Quebec and many people will picture something a little different from the Gulf room of that name. Because of French-language immigration, the province’s Arab population is the most Maghrebi and Lebanese in Canada, with Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian and Lebanese communities concentrated in Montreal and Laval. Here the familiar word is often salon marocain, and the seat is a bench, not a floor cushion. Sofhu makes both and ships them free to Quebec.
Salon marocain or majlis: two ways of sitting
The salon marocain and Sofhu’s two products share an idea, seating around the walls with the centre left open, and differ in height and construction.
| Salon marocain | Arabic majlis | Arabic floor sofa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat level | Bench height, on a wooden sedari | Sofa height, upholstered units | Floor level, loose cushions |
| At the centre | A round table for the meal | A rug and coffee tables | A rug, an ottoman, tea |
| Layout | Wall-to-wall U, made to measure | L or U along the walls | Perimeter, easy to rearrange |
In Morocco the sedari is the wooden base, often carved, that carries the mattresses, and the salon is where guests are received and tea is served. The details are on our page about the Moroccan sedari and salon marocain. Algerian and Tunisian households have their own versions, which we describe under Algerian salon oriental and Tunisian majlis and salon.
What Sofhu makes for a Quebec salon
It is worth being plain about this. Sofhu is a manufacturer in Türkiye, not a Moroccan workshop, and it does not make carved sedaris. What it offers a family used to a salon marocain is three routes to the same room.
- An Arabic majlis, raised to sofa height and built as fully upholstered units with fixed backs and arm bolsters, which keeps the continuous wall-to-wall line.
- A wooden-frame set with cushions, the closest thing in the range to the raised seat of a sedari. The white wooden-frame majlis with navy cushions at the top of this page is one, and Sofhu’s existing page on wooden bench sets shows more.
- An Arabic floor sofa, a low cushion set for those who want a more relaxed room. The maroon set in the gallery is one, photographed against bare plaster and terracotta tile.
The benches above are an outdoor version on a covered patio, three of them set in a U around a low table. The comparison of floor seating vs raised diwan will help you choose a height.
Moroccan sofa measurements: getting wall to wall right
A salon only looks right when it runs from corner to corner without a gap. That is a measuring job.
- Measure every wall at floor level, above the baseboard line if the baseboard is deep.
- Mark doors, radiators, electric baseboard heaters and low windows.
- Decide which corners are filled and where the entrance break falls.
- Photograph each wall straight on.
Sofhu sizes each run from those numbers so the pieces meet in the corners. Everything else is open to choice: fabric, colour, pattern, trim and the firmness of the seat. The custom majlis page lists the options.
Lebanese and Levantine households
Lebanese families are the other large Arab community in Quebec. The reception room of an old Levantine courtyard house, as recorded in Damascus, was a raised area lined with a low sofa and cushions, which sits between the floor sofa and the bench. A majlis, or a floor sofa with a thicker seat, is the nearest equivalent in Sofhu’s range. See Syrian and Levantine Arabic seating.
Long winters: fabric, foam and washing
Quebec winters are long and cold. Velvet and chenille are warm to sit on, and Sofhu describes its velvets as durable and easy to clean. Patterned weaves, such as the medallion designs in the photos on this page, give a richer look.
The close-up shows how the seat is made: a piped cover with a side zip over a foam core. Covers come off, and Sofhu states they can be washed at 30°C. The foam is 32 kg/m³ high-density foam with no springs. Density describes how much material is in the cushion and how well it holds its shape. Firmness is chosen separately, softer or firmer, when you order.
Delivery to Montreal, Laval and the rest of Quebec
Sofhu has no shop or stock in the province. Each set is made to order, vacuum packed and shipped free to your door, in Montreal, Laval, Quebec City or elsewhere. Open the sealed bags by hand and let the foam expand.
Import duty or tax may apply depending on the destination. Ask Sofhu how your order will be handled before you confirm, and read importing a majlis to Canada. The existing page on Arabic majlises in Canada answers Canada-wide questions.
En français
Readers looking for a salon marocain sur mesure or a canapé arabe will find French-language pages here: Salon marocain sur mesure, Sedari : la banquette marocaine and Canapé oriental et canapé arabe.
When your measurements are ready, get a quote by measurement or send them by WhatsApp. City guides: Arabic majlis in Montreal and Quebec City. Next door: Ontario and New Brunswick.
