The best place for a majlis sofa in a Salt Lake City house is often the finished basement: three clear walls, quiet, and separate from the family's rooms. Sofhu, the manufacturer, builds raised Arabic majlis sets and low floor sofas in Türkiye to your measurements with 32 kg/m³ high-density foam, in velvet, chenille or suede for cold winters, and ships it free to Utah.
- Good room for it
- Finished basement or front living room
- Made by
- Sofhu, manufacturer, in Türkiye
- Utah shop
- None. Made to order
- Shipping
- Free, to your door
- Winter fabrics
- Velvet, chenille, suede
- Foam
- 32 kg/m³ (32 DNS) high-density
On this page
Go downstairs. In a great many Salt Lake City houses the finished basement is the largest room with the fewest interruptions: long walls, small windows set high, and a door that closes. That is very nearly the description of a majlis. A majlis sofa Salt Lake City families order from Sofhu is made in Türkiye to the measurements of that room and shipped free to the door.
Why the basement makes a good majlis
A guest room works when visitors can be received without the household stopping. A basement gives that separation for free. The men can sit late without waking children two floors up, and the kitchen stays private.
It also suits the furniture. Sofhu makes two products, and both line the walls. The Arabic majlis, shown at the top of this page, is raised to sofa height, with an upholstered base, tall fixed backs and arm bolsters. The Arabic floor sofa, like the burgundy set below, is a low cushion set that is not freestanding; every section leans on a wall. Basement walls tend to run unbroken, so a full U-shape fits where an upstairs living room, cut up by windows and a fireplace, would only take an L. Before you measure, check that the walls are dry and finished, since fabric should not sit against a damp surface. The article on basement majlis ideas covers lighting, rugs and ceiling height.
Majlis sofa Salt Lake City buyers order from the maker
There is no Arabic furniture shop to visit for this, and Sofhu does not have one in Utah. It is the manufacturer and sells direct. You send the wall lengths, choose the fabric and layout, and the set is made for your room. Nothing comes off a shelf in a standard size.
The seats are filled with 32 kg/m³ high-density foam, known in the Turkish trade as 32 DNS. That number is density, the weight of foam per cubic metre. It is not a hardness rating. Denser foam generally keeps its height and support longer, and you can ask for a softer or firmer feel. The Arabic majlis hub explains the pieces of a set.
Upholstery for cold, dry winters
Utah winters are cold and the air is dry. Both point toward fabrics with body.
- Velvet. Warm to the touch and, in Sofhu’s description, durable and easy to clean. See the velvet floor sofas.
- Chenille. Soft and textured. Sofhu notes that its chenille sheds very little.
- Suede. Described by Sofhu as a good choice for autumn and winter.
Deep colours suit a room that is used mostly in the evening. The maroon velvet floor sofa below shows how a darker fabric warms a plain room.
All covers are zippered and removable. Sofhu states they can be machine washed at 30°C, and its care notes for velvet say not to tumble dry.
Four hosting traditions, one set of parts
Over many years Salt Lake County has become home to refugee families from Somalia, Iraq, Sudan and Afghanistan. Their ways of seating guests are not the same, and a made-to-order set can follow each.
An Iraqi family may think of the room as a diwaniya, the reception room that Iraqi custom treats as the most important in the house. The page on the Iraqi diwaniya describes it. An Afghan family is more likely to want a toshak, a thinner mattress that also serves as a bed. Sudanese seating is traditionally raised, at the height of a bed, so a Sudanese household may prefer a raised majlis; see Sudanese salon and diwan seating and the comparison of floor seating and raised diwans. There is also a guide to Somali Arabic seating.
The navy floor sofa below carries a star motif. It is one of Sofhu’s own designs, shown here in a sunlit living room.
Measuring, ordering and delivery
Measure each wall from corner to corner and note whether you used inches or centimetres. Mark the stairs, columns, doors, vents and outlets. Take a photo from the foot of the stairs and one from the far corner. Send everything through the quote by measurement page or on WhatsApp.
Sofhu confirms the layout with you before production. The finished set is vacuum packed and shipped free. The guide to how a majlis is packed and delivered shows what arrives and how to open it. Import duties or taxes may apply, depending on US customs rules; ask Sofhu before ordering.
For the rest of the state, see oriental Arabic sofa in Utah.
