A majlis sofa for a Portland, Maine home is ordered direct from the maker, as Sofhu has no shop in Maine. Sofhu builds raised majlis sofas and low Arabic floor sofas in Türkiye to the wall lengths you send, with 32 kg/m³ high-density foam, and ships them free. A floor sofa arrives as separate, vacuum-packed pieces that are easier to carry up a triple-decker staircase than a framed sofa.
- Made by
- Sofhu, manufacturer in Türkiye
- Shipping to Maine
- Free, to your door
- Foam
- 32 kg/m³ (32 DNS), no springs
- Covers
- Zippered, removable, machine washable at 30 degrees
- Local shop
- None. Every set is built to order
- Next step
- Send wall measurements for a quote
On this page
Winter decides most furniture questions in Portland. A room that is lived in from November to April with the windows shut needs seating that stays comfortable for long evenings, covers that can be washed, and something warm underfoot. A majlis sofa for a Portland, Maine home answers all three, provided it is built for the room rather than bought in a standard size. Sofhu makes each set to measure in Türkiye and ships it free to Maine.
Sofhu makes two kinds of Arabic seating. The majlis sofa in the photos on this page, the Arabic majlis, is raised: sofa-height upholstered units with a solid base, fixed backs and arm bolsters. The Arabic floor sofa is low: a seat mattress near the floor with loose back cushions and armrests. Much of what follows about stairs and cold floors applies to the low one.
Who sits on floor seating in Portland
Portland is one of Maine’s two main centres of Somali and wider African immigration, the other being Lewiston, and Iraqi and Afghan families live here too. For many of these households an Arabic-style sitting room is simply what a living room looks like: low seating around the walls, the middle of the floor open, room for guests to stay as long as they like.
The three traditions are not identical. Sofhu’s guides to Somali Arabic seating, the Iraqi diwaniya and the Afghan toshak set out the differences, and the wider state is covered on the Maine page. Whichever you grew up with, the order starts the same way: with your walls.
Triple-deckers, stairs and narrow rooms
Portland has many older wood-frame triple-deckers and apartment houses. That shapes the set in three ways.
- Access. Stairs turn, and doors are narrow. An Arabic floor sofa is modular, so it arrives as separate mattresses, back cushions and armrests, vacuum packed, and goes up one parcel at a time. A raised majlis comes as larger upholstered units, so send the stair and door widths first.
- Room shape. Front rooms in these buildings can be long rather than wide, with a bay or a doorway breaking one wall. An L-shape on the two unbroken walls usually seats more people than a U squeezed around the door.
- Floors. Floor-level seating has no legs, so it does not scratch old pine or hardwood boards. It does need a wall behind it: the backrests lean, they do not stand alone.
The beige medallion set below is a raised majlis in an L, the layout that suits these front rooms.
If your living room doubles as the family room, read the guide to a majlis in a small apartment before you settle on a layout.
Foam and fabric for a cold coast
Sofhu fills its cushions with 32 kg/m³ high-density polyurethane foam, with no springs inside. Density is the amount of material in the cushion, not how hard it feels, and denser foam generally keeps its height and support longer. That matters in a house where the seating is used every day for half the year. On a custom order you can ask for a softer or firmer feel.
For covers, think about touch and washing. Velvet and chenille feel warm against the skin, and the suede-look fabrics in the range are described by Sofhu as a good choice for autumn and winter. Linen is cooler and suits a sunny south-facing room. All covers are zippered and come off for machine washing at 30 degrees, which is worth having in a season of wet boots and indoor meals.
Put a rug down first. In an older building the floor is the coldest surface in the room, and a rug under the seating and across the centre does more for comfort than any change of fabric. Sofhu can supply a rug with the set, or you can use your own.
How an order reaches Maine
Sofhu has no shop in Portland and does not pretend to be a local store. It is the manufacturer. The set is built after you approve the quote, packed, and sent to your address with free shipping. Duties or taxes may apply depending on the destination, so ask before you order; the guide to importing a majlis to the USA explains the general picture.
When the parcels arrive, open the vacuum bags carefully without a sharp blade, and the foam starts to recover its shape by itself.
What to send for a quote
Three things are enough to begin:
- The length of each wall the seating will sit against, measured at floor level.
- The position of doors, radiators, baseboard heaters and low windows on those walls.
- A photo of the room, and the colours you have in mind.
The step-by-step method is in how to measure a room for a majlis, and the main Arabic floor sofa page shows the layouts. Then get a quote by measurement or send the details on WhatsApp.
