For a Lewiston apartment, a majlis sofa is made to the room: seating along every free wall, with a rug and curtains to match if you want them. Sofhu manufactures the set in Türkiye from your wall measurements, with 32 kg/m³ high-density foam and removable washable covers, and ships it free to Maine. There is no local store; you order by quote.
- Typical layout
- Wall-to-wall U-shape for the main room
- Can include
- Rug, curtains, ottoman, floor cushions
- Foam
- 32 kg/m³ (32 DNS) high-density foam, no springs
- Winter fabrics
- Velvet, chenille, suede
- Made by
- Sofhu, manufacturer in Türkiye
- Shipping to Lewiston
- Free
On this page
Walk down Lisbon Street and you pass Somali-owned shops and restaurants in storefronts that once stood empty. In many of the apartments above and around downtown you find the other half of that story: a main room with seating along the walls, a rug in the middle and curtains chosen to match. A majlis sofa in Lewiston is that room, and Sofhu makes it to measure in two forms: the raised, upholstered Arabic majlis and the low Arabic floor sofa of floor cushions.
A familiar way to furnish the main room
Lewiston has a large Somali and Somali Bantu community for a city of its size. Families began arriving through secondary migration from other states around the turn of the 2000s, and Somali business owners have since helped bring downtown back to life.
Many of these households furnish the sitting room with low seating from wall to wall. It is where guests are welcomed with tea, where relatives stay late, and where the family spends its evenings through a long winter. The form is close to the Yemeni and Gulf sets Sofhu makes, and the page on Somali Arabic seating looks at it with care. People who call the furniture a jalsa will find the same thing under Arabic jalsa.
Wall to wall in a tenement apartment
Much of Lewiston’s housing is older multi-family buildings, and their rooms are rarely plain rectangles. A door, a window or a radiator may sit exactly where you would want a seat. A set made to measure is the way to seat such a room fully.
A U-shape on three walls, like the burgundy and cream majlis above, is the usual answer for the main room. Seating of either kind follows the walls, and a floor sofa must lean on one, so measure each stretch of wall between doors and stop the run before a radiator. Where one wall is broken up, use an L-shape on the two good walls. The guide to L-shape and U-shape layouts shows the options.
The whole room as one set
The room looks finished when the seating, rug and curtains are planned together. Sofhu makes all three, along with ottomans and loose floor cushions.
In the black and gold floor sofa above, the rug, the ottoman and the three floor cushions carry the same medallion as the seats. You can order the seating alone and add to it, or order the full room at once. Majlis sofa sets compares the packages, and parts of a majlis set names each piece.
Fabric and colour for a cold climate
Maine winters are long, so pick a fabric that feels warm the moment you sit. Velvet is the natural choice. Sofhu describes it as durable and easy to clean, and the burgundy velvet U-shape at the top of this page shows how rich it looks across a full room. Chenille and the suede series, which Sofhu describes as a good option for fall and winter, are the alternatives. The existing velvet floor sofas page has more.
Deep reds do well in northern light. The red kilim-pattern floor sofa above, set in a corner with its ottoman and floor cushions, shows how a warm colour lifts a room on a grey day. More examples are in the red and burgundy majlis gallery and in emerald green and burgundy majlis ideas.
Foam for a room used all day
A main room that serves as sitting room, dining room and guest room wears its seats hard. Sofhu fills them with 32 kg/m³ high-density foam, with no springs. The figure is density, the weight of a cubic metre, and not a hardness rating. Denser foam generally holds its height and support longer than light foam. You can choose a softer or firmer seat and the cushion thickness when you order.
The covers have zippers. Sofhu states they can be machine washed at 30°C, which matters in a home with children and frequent guests.
Ordering from Lewiston
Sofhu has no outlet in Maine. It is the manufacturer and sells directly.
- Measure each wall at floor level, and each window if you want curtains.
- Note doors, radiators and outlets, and take photos of the room.
- Send everything for a quote or message Sofhu on WhatsApp.
The set is shipped free and arrives vacuum packed. Open the bags by hand and let the cushions recover before arranging them. Duties or taxes may apply to imports, so ask Sofhu before ordering; importing a majlis to the USA outlines the general picture.
The state page is Oriental Arabic sofas in Maine.
