Sofhu makes raised Arabic majlis sets and low floor sofas to measure and ships them free to Wales. Yemeni and Somali families have lived in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea for well over a century, and Yemeni-style seating round the walls is the natural starting point. Each set is cut to the walls of your front room and filled with 32 kg/m³ high-density foam.
- Made by
- Sofhu, manufacturer, in Türkiye
- Featured style
- Yemeni-style sets, single row to U-shape
- Sizing
- Cut to the walls of your front room
- Foam
- 32 kg/m³ (32 DNS) high-density foam
- Covers
- Zippered, removable, washable at 30°C
- Shipping
- Free worldwide, including Wales
On this page
Wales is home to some of the oldest Muslim communities in Britain. Yemeni and Somali seafarers settled around the docks in Cardiff’s Butetown from the late nineteenth century, and smaller communities grew up in Newport and Swansea. Their grandchildren and great-grandchildren still furnish a room the way the family always has. That is why an Arabic majlis in Wales usually means one thing first: Yemeni-style seating round the walls.
Sofhu makes those sets to measure in Türkiye and ships them free to Welsh addresses. This page explains what suits the houses here. Sofhu makes two products for that room: the Arabic majlis, a raised, upholstered set at sofa height with fixed backs and arm bolsters, like the burgundy and cream one at the top of this page, and the Arabic floor sofa, a low cushion set at floor level with loose back cushions and an ottoman. For Britain as a whole, see the Arabic sofa in the United Kingdom page.
Yemeni majlis seating, and what Sofhu makes
In Yemen the words for the room are diwan and mafraj: the sitting room where family and friends gather for long afternoons. In Wales that room is the front room of a terraced house, but the furniture follows the same logic. Seating lines the walls. Backs are tall enough to lean on for hours. Armrests divide the places.
Sofhu’s Yemeni majlis range of floor sofas is built for exactly this, as a full-room set that can include the rug, curtains and ottoman. The star motifs on the burgundy floor sofa below are Sofhu’s own designs, not a claim about historic Yemeni cloth. The Yemeni diwan and mafraj page gives the background, and the post on majlis patterns and motifs explains where stars, stripes and medallions come from.
Somali floor seating in Wales
Somali families in Wales ask for low seating round the walls too. Some want the room finished as one piece, with seating, rug and curtains chosen together.
Sofhu builds those sets on the same made-to-measure basis. The page on Somali Arabic seating describes the style as buyers in the diaspora order it today. If you want the whole room to match, send the window sizes along with the wall lengths.
Fitting a majlis sofa into a Welsh front room
Terraced housing is common across south Wales, and the front room is often small. That is no obstacle, because every set is cut from your own measurements, but it does mean the layout has to be chosen with care.
A single row along the longest wall is the modest choice. It leaves the fireplace and the door clear. The burgundy and cream majlis at the top of this page is a single row, and a floor sofa can be made the same way with its rug, ottoman and floor cushions.
An L-shape uses two walls and seats more. A U-shape uses three and turns the whole room over to guests. Seen from above, as in this plan view of a raised majlis, the footprint is easy to judge:
Before you decide, count the armrests. In a short run they take up real width, and the post on how many backrests and armrests you need helps you find the balance. One more decision is seat height. Elders who sat on the floor all their lives do not always want to now. Cushion thickness can be chosen on a floor sofa, and a raised majlis can take one wall while a floor sofa stays low on the others.
Then measure each wall at floor level, including the alcoves either side of the chimney breast. The guide on how to measure a room for a majlis shows how.
Covers, damp and daily use
The Welsh climate is wet, and older terraces can be cool at floor level. Two features of a Sofhu set help.
Every cover closes with a zip and comes off its foam insert. Sofhu states the covers can be machine washed at 30°C.
The filling is 32 kg/m³ high-density foam with no springs. Denser foam generally keeps its height longer under daily sitting, which is what a family room asks of it. Lift the seats now and then to air the underside, and dry washed covers fully before they go back on.
For fabric, velvet and chenille are the warm choices. Deep reds and navy hide marks well; the red and burgundy majlis gallery shows a range of them.
How Arabic majlis delivery to Wales works
Sofhu has no shop in Wales and keeps no stock here. Each set is made to order, vacuum packed and shipped free to your door. The packing compresses the cushions; open the bags by hand and the foam returns to shape.
Goods entering Great Britain may be subject to import VAT or duty depending on the shipment. Ask Sofhu how your order will be handled before you confirm it.
Where to go next
If you live in the capital, the Cardiff page goes into the city’s homes and its long-settled community in more detail. For other styles, from Gulf jalsa to kilim sets, browse the Arabic majlis hub.
When you have your wall lengths and a few photos, get a quote by measurement or message Sofhu on WhatsApp.
