A majlis sofa suits Louisville's narrow shotgun rooms and apartments because it is built along the walls and leaves the middle open. Sofhu manufactures raised Arabic majlis sets and low floor sofas in Türkiye to your measurements, as a single row, facing rows, an L-shape or a U-shape, with 32 kg/m³ high-density foam and washable zippered covers. Shipping to Louisville is free; ask for a quote.
- Good for
- Narrow rooms, apartments, family rooms
- Layouts
- Single row, facing rows, L-shape, U-shape
- Built by
- Sofhu, manufacturer in Türkiye
- Foam
- 32 kg/m³ (32 DNS) high-density foam
- Covers
- Zip off; machine wash at 30°C
- Shipping to Louisville
- Free
On this page
A shotgun house has no spare width. The rooms run one behind another, each as wide as the house, and a deep Western sofa eats half the floor. A majlis sofa in Louisville solves that problem by design: the seating stays flat against the walls and the centre of the room stays open. Sofhu cuts each set to the walls you measure and ships it free from Türkiye.
Sofhu makes two kinds of set, and both follow the walls. The Arabic majlis is raised to sofa height: upholstered units with a solid base, fixed backs and arm bolsters, like the beige single row at the top of this page. The Arabic floor sofa is a seat mattress at floor level with loose back cushions and armrest blocks, which takes the least depth of all.
Layouts for a narrow Louisville room
The right layout depends on where the doors are.
- Single row. One long wall, seated end to end. This is the choice when the room is also a passage.
- Facing rows. Both long walls seated, with a lane between. Guests face each other, which is how conversation works best.
- L-shape. One long wall and the short end wall, as in the taupe floor sofa above with its rug. It suits a room with a door in one corner.
- U-shape. Both long walls and the far end, for a room with a single entrance.
Sofhu’s floor sofas are not freestanding. The backrests need a wall or something solid behind them, so measure wall and leave out every doorway. The method is set out in how to measure a room for a majlis, and how many people a majlis seats helps you judge capacity.
A tradition of facing rows
Two rows facing each other is an old arrangement, not a compromise. In the reed guest halls of southern Iraq, the mudhif, cushions line the two long walls with the coffee hearth on the axis between them. A long narrow room in Kentucky can be furnished on the same principle.
That is worth knowing in a city where families from Iraq, Somalia and Bosnia have settled since the 1990s. Louisville is a significant resettlement city, and for many of these households low seating along the wall is simply how a guest room looks. Background on these traditions is in the pages on the Iraqi diwaniya and mudhif and on Somali Arabic seating.
Apartments: seat one wall well
In an apartment, one well-made row does more than a crowded corner. The beige majlis at the top of this page is a single row: one raised run along one wall. A floor sofa does the same job lower down, usually with an ottoman, a rug and loose floor cushions set out around it. The floor cushions are the flexible part. They give three or four extra places at Eid and stack in a closet afterwards.
If the living room has two free walls, an L-shape with a rug and ottoman, like the burgundy and cream kilim floor sofa above, makes a proper sitting area without touching the rest of the room. More plans are in a majlis in a small apartment, and rug sizing is covered in what size rug for a majlis.
Covers for humid summers
Louisville has a humid subtropical climate, and summer is when covers earn their zippers. Sofhu’s covers are removable, and the company states they can be machine washed at 30°C. After washing, give them time to dry right through before they go back over the foam.
For fabric, Sofhu describes linen as porous and refreshing in hot weather, its woven fabrics as non-wrinkling and its chenille as very low-shedding. Light neutrals are discussed in beige, cream and grey majlis ideas.
Patterns are chosen from fabric books like the one above, with Sofhu’s designers, by message or video call.
The foam inside
Seats are filled with 32 kg/m³ high-density foam and have no springs. Density is the weight of a cubic metre of foam, not a hardness score. Denser foam generally keeps its height and support for longer, which matters in a room used every day. You can ask for a softer or firmer seat.
Getting a quote and delivery
Sofhu has no shop in Kentucky; it builds to order and delivers to the door.
- Sketch the room and write the length of each wall at floor level.
- Mark doors, windows, vents and fireplaces.
- Send the sketch and photos for a quote, or message on WhatsApp.
Cushions arrive vacuum packed in sealed bags, which also helps in a house with narrow doors. Open the bags by hand and the cushions expand. Shipping is free. Duties or taxes may apply depending on the destination, so ask Sofhu before ordering.
For the rest of the state, see Arabic sofas in Kentucky. The full range is in the Arabic floor sofa guide.
