---
title: "Arabic Sofa in Colorado: Majlis for Homes and Yemeni Cafés"
url: "https://orientalsofa.com/arabic-sofa-in-colorado/"
lang: "en"
dir: "ltr"
date_published: "2024-11-07T00:00:00+00:00"
date_modified: "2026-10-13T00:00:00+00:00"
author: "Rafeeq"
---

# Arabic Sofas in Colorado: Raised Jalsah, Wooden Benches and Café Seating

In a state with about 25,400 residents of Arab ancestry, a family that hosts ten adults at once plans an Arabic sofa in Colorado with about 236 in (600 cm) of seat, or 23.5 in (60 cm) per adult. The Istanbul workshop splits that made-to-measure length into four equal seats of 59 in (150 cm), and each is drawn on a plan before cutting.

## Questions buyers ask

### Where in Colorado can I look at a finished set before ordering?

There is no store to visit in Colorado or elsewhere in the US. Every set is cut, sewn and finished to order in Istanbul, Türkiye. A video call can show finished seating and foam on camera. Ask us about fabric swatches and a foam sample before you order.

### Can I order a majlis by piece count, say six or seven pieces?

A majlis is sized by wall length, not by piece count. Send the length of each wall, even a rough figure for the longest side, and the designer works out how many seat, back and armrest pieces fill it.

## What fits a Colorado apartment, a loft corner or a long family room?

An apartment usually takes one straight run, a loft or den corner an L, and a family room a full U. ACS 5-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau put about 61% of Colorado homes in single-family houses and about 12.5% in apartment blocks of 20 or more units. Our overview of Yemeni and Arabic majlis in the USA lays out the room sizes each plan needs.

| Room | Plan | Patterned full set | Adults seated |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Apartment living room | One straight run | 10 pieces, one 75 in (190 cm) seat | 2 to 3 |
| Loft or den corner | L-shape | 14 pieces on about 75 × 102 in (190 × 260 cm) of floor | 5 to 6 |
| Family room | U-shape | 19 pieces, about 224 in (570 cm) of seating | 8 to 9 |

## What do you measure first in a long, narrow Colorado room?

1. Find the narrowest point first: it limits the seat depth before the length does.
2. Read the long wall from corner to corner and skip the door openings; a 240 in (610 cm) wall, for example, takes four equal seats of about 60 in (152 cm).
3. For a U, start with the back wall corner to corner; each side is then measured from that wall to the point where the seats end.
4. Mark each number as a wall size or a seat length, because at a corner the second run gives up one seat depth.
5. Send feet, inches, meters or centimeters, with a labeled sketch and photos.

Our guide to measuring a majlis room covers the tape work; the majlis planner tests run lengths.

## Which seat height does each majlis build allow?

The build decides the height. An all-foam raised jalsah reaches about the height of a regular living-room sofa. Wooden-backrest builds stay low, and wooden bases sit near the top of the range.

| Build | Seat height |
| --- | --- |
| All-foam majlis | 12 in (30 cm) or about 16 in (40 cm) |
| Foam seat with a wooden (MDF) backrest | 8 in (20 cm) or 12 in (30 cm) |
| Wooden base | 14.5 in (37 cm) to 16 in (40 cm) depending on the model |

[Floor cushions](https://orientalsofa.com/floor-sofas/) come in 4 in (10 cm), 8 in (20 cm), 12 in (30 cm) and 16 in (40 cm), and the first two are the everyday sizes. When you ask for a quote, give the seat height, the back height and the seat thickness as three separate numbers.

> I would put the raised run where the oldest guests arrive first, so a taller seat spares them the strain.

## How do you choose deep green, burgundy or white and gold?

Each solid color has a number on our fabric color card, so a set can come in a shade we have not photographed yet. Gold accents are optional. Deep greens and burgundy shift between daylight and lamp light, so judge them in both.

## How does delivery work for a Colorado home or a café still being built?

Every order is made in [Istanbul](https://orientalsofa.com/about/). There is no warehouse stock or sales agent in Colorado. The name and address on the order decide where the boxes land. A café owner can send cushions to a home or storage address and fit them once the room is done.

An L takes two or three boxes and larger layouts take more, so the boxes may arrive on different days. Each box's [tracking number](https://orientalsofa.com/delivery/) arrives by email when the order ships.

Delivery to the US and Canada is by tracked express courier — ask us for the current transit estimate.

Import duties for US deliveries are set by US Customs — ask us how they apply to your order before you pay.

| Colorado clock | Istanbul in US summer | Istanbul in US winter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 8 a.m. | 5 p.m. | 6 p.m. |
| Noon | 9 p.m. | 10 p.m. |
| 4 p.m. | 1 a.m. the next day | 2 a.m. the next day |

## Which Arab and Afghan communities does Colorado count, and how many are in the Denver metro?

Lebanese families are the largest Arab group the Census Bureau counts in Colorado. About 71% of the state's Arab-ancestry residents live in the Denver metro. Yemeni households fall inside its 'Other Arab' line, and Afghan, Somali and Sudanese neighbors are counted separately. Families who sit on toshak cushions can start with our Afghan toshak floor cushions.

| Place | What the figures show | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Colorado | Arab ancestry reported by about 25,400 residents, about 0.4% of the state | ACS 5-year |
| Colorado | Middle Eastern or North African: about 42,600, or 0.7% | 2020 Census |
| Colorado | Lebanese about 7,600 and Other Arab about 4,900, which includes Yemeni | ACS 5-year |
| Colorado | Somali about 2,800, Afghan about 2,600 and Sudanese about 2,400, counted separately | ACS 5-year |
| Denver metro | About 18,200 residents of Arab ancestry, roughly 71% of the state total | ACS 5-year, share derived |

## What do dry winters and a short patio season change in Colorado?

Dry winters keep the majlis indoors for most of the year and leave a patio set about five months. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for Denver show about 49 in (124 cm) of snow a year and a January high near 45°F (7°C). Average highs sit between 64°F (18°C) and 90°F (32°C) only in May, June, August, September and October, with July just past the band.

A patio set needs a water-repellent outdoor fabric, mostly in plain colors. Regular upholstery is made for indoor rooms.

## What does a Yemeni coffee house or café need from a seating order?

Cushion-only orders are made to the bench sizes you send, so the carpenters can finish first and you measure after. A long bench divides into equal seat cushions. A 224 in (568 cm) run takes three of about 74 in (189 cm), and a 97 in (246 cm) bench takes two of about 48 in (123 cm).

> The owner of a new Yemeni coffee house location in Colorado was referred to us for cushions. The shop's carpenters built the wooden benches on site, so only cushions were needed. When the woodwork was finished, the owner measured every bench: three benches with seats of about 97 in (246 cm) by 19 in (48 cm) and backs about 24 in (61 cm) high, and one long bench with a seat of about 224 in (568 cm) by 18 in (46 cm) and a back about 24.5 in (62 cm) high. Our team set out all the pieces together and started production the next day. Because the shop was still a construction site, the order was shipped to the owner's home instead, ready to be fitted once the benches were finished.

Keep the fabric number from the first order and quote it on the next. Matching cushions across ten tables is a planning job, not luck. Single extra cushions and spare covers can be ordered later, and our majlis seating for cafés and coffee houses shows the formats.

![Three pine benches with turned spindles in a U around a kilim rug, with brown and cream kilim-pattern cushions on a waterside terrace](https://orientalsofa.com/media/pi/pine-bench-u-brown-kilim-cushions-terrace-view-01-1200.webp)

*Pine benches in a U with kilim-pattern seat and back cushions, and a flat-woven rug in front.*

## Frequently asked questions

### Our room is long and narrow, about 222 in (564 cm) by 70 in (178 cm). How should the seating run?

A narrow room usually keeps one long run: on that wall, three equal seats of 74 in (188 cm). A second run at the usual 27.5 in (70 cm) depth would leave about 15 in (38 cm) of floor between the two, so narrow the depth to 19.5 in (50 cm) or 23.5 in (60 cm) for two runs.

### Can I start with one room now and add a second project later in the same fabric?

Keep the fabric name and color number from the first quote and ask for the same ones on the second. If an exact match matters most, order both rooms together.

### Is a full-foam seat hard to sit on?

The foam in a seat is firm to medium-firm, not hard, and a softer or firmer fill is available on request. Ask us about fabric swatches and a foam sample before you order.

### Part of my set has not arrived. What should I do?

Sets ship in several boxes, so check the packing list and each tracking number first. Then send a photo of what arrived together with your order reference. If anything arrives damaged or missing, message us with photos as soon as you can and we'll put it right.

## Related pages

- [Yemeni Majlis Sets, From the Mafraj to Your Living Room](https://orientalsofa.com/yemeni-majlis/)
- [Wooden-Base Arabic Majlis and Sedir Bench Sets](https://orientalsofa.com/cedar-arabic-majlis/)
- [Turkish Majlis by Oriental Sofa](https://orientalsofa.com/turkish-majlis/)
- [Oriental Arabic Majlis and Bench Cushions for Wisconsin](https://orientalsofa.com/oriental-arabic-majlis-in-wisconsin/)
- [Oriental Arabic Jalsah and Majlis Seating Across Tennessee](https://orientalsofa.com/oriental-arabic-jalsah-in-tennessee/)
- [Yemeni and Arabic Majlis for American Homes, Cut to Your Walls](https://orientalsofa.com/yemeni-majlises-for-usa/)
- [How to Measure a Room for a Majlis, Wall by Wall](https://orientalsofa.com/guides/how-to-measure-for-a-majlis/)
- [Plan your majlis from your wall measurements](https://orientalsofa.com/tools/majlis-planner/)
- [Afghan Toshak Floor Seating, Made to Your Room](https://orientalsofa.com/premium-afghan-toshak/)
- [Cafés and Coffee Houses](https://orientalsofa.com/arabic-majlis-for-cafes/)

## Sources

- [US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B04006 (ancestry)](https://censusreporter.org/tables/B04006/)
- [US Census Bureau, 2020 Census DHC-A: the Middle Eastern and North African population](https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/09/2020-census-dhc-a-mena-population.html)
- [US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25024 (units in structure)](https://censusreporter.org/tables/B25024/)
- [Denver climate normals, 1991 to 2020 (NOAA station data)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver)