Arabic Sofa in Florida: Majlis, Sedir Benches & Floor Sets

How do a Miami condo and a Tampa family room change the plan?

A condo wall tends to take one straight run or a short L. A house takes a full L or a U. The Census Bureau's ACS 5-year estimates show 41.0% of Miami-area homes as detached houses. Another 28.2% sit in buildings with 20 or more apartments. Statewide the shares are 54.7% and 14.4%. Our guide to room sizes and seat heights for US homes covers the choices behind both.

Home	Plan	Pieces, patterned full set	Seats about
Miami condo	Single run	10	2 to 3 adults
House corner	L-shape, about 75 × 102 in (190 × 260 cm)	14	5 to 6 adults
Great room	U-shape, about 224 in (570 cm) of seating	19	8 to 9 adults
Sedir bench set	Three benches in a U	16, rug included	About 6 adults

Cream velvet majlis with black bands and gold X-line bases, gold cushions, black and gold drapes, a star table and a large medallion rug — Cream velvet along three walls, with gold bases, black bands and one large medallion rug covering the floor between the seats.

From the atelier

Questions buyers ask

Can I pick up an order in Florida, or does it come to my address?: Pickup is not offered, because there is no store, warehouse stock or sales agent in Florida. Every order is made in the Istanbul workshop, and every box carries its own tracking number, emailed when it ships.
We are a big family with young children. Is the foam firm, and how do we keep the covers clean?: Seats use firm to medium-firm foam, and a softer or firmer filling is available on request. On floor sets, covers unzip and can be machine-washed on a gentle 86°F (30°C) cycle with a mild detergent; avoid heat, which can shrink them. A spare set of covers lets one stay on the seat while the other dries.

What should you send when you already own part of the set?

Count the base cushions you own and give each one's length, depth and thickness, for example 75 × 27.5 × 8 in (190 × 70 × 20 cm).
Say whether the layout is straight, an L or a U, and which way the L turns.
Photograph each corner with the cushions in place, so the designer can see where new pieces meet the old.
Mark any sliding door, balcony threshold or built-in cabinet that a seat has to stop at.
Write your numbers in feet, inches, meters or centimeters, and say which.

Our step-by-step measuring guide explains where the tape goes. The majlis planner shows how pieces meet at a corner.

In the Miami area 28.2% of homes sit in buildings of 20 or more units, against 14.4% across Florida, which is why compact runs matter in condos.

How high can a floor set go: an extra layer or a sedir bench?

An extra layer is the simple route. Adding a 4 in (10 cm) layer turns a set of 8 in (20 cm) into 12 in (30 cm). Adding a layer of 8 in (20 cm) turns it into 16 in (40 cm). Stacked layers are separate pieces, so the top one lifts off and becomes a spare floor mattress for guests.

A sedir bench is a different build. It has a solid pine frame, covered in a heavy kilim-style weave rather than regular upholstery fabric. A standard bench is 75 × 27.5 × 16 in (190 × 70 × 40 cm) with its seat cushion included, and one bench seats about three people. Ask us how the covers on the Sedir Bench line are cleaned. Our wooden sedir bench majlis uses fixed frame lengths of 47 in (120 cm), 59 in (150 cm), 71 in (180 cm) and 75 in (190 cm).

How should humid summers and a long patio season shape the fabric choice?

Our regular upholstery fabrics are made for indoor rooms. A porch or terrace set needs a water-repellent outdoor fabric, mostly in plain colors. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals put Miami's average high near 77°F (25°C) in January and 91°F (33°C) in July. About 67 in (171 cm) of rain falls in a year. Ten months in Miami and eight in Tampa average between 64°F (18°C) and 90°F (32°C). Outdoor seating stays in use far longer than in colder states.

Single extra cushions and replacement foam can be ordered any time. A spare set of covers is the calmest answer to a house full of kids.

What should you check on delivery day in Florida?

Tick each box off against the packing list. Photograph anything missing or ill-fitting. An L usually arrives in two or three boxes and a larger layout in more. The boxes may land on different days.

Unseal the vacuum bags within about a week of delivery. Then let the cushions rest for about a day so they regain their full shape.

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

Ask us

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

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Florida clock	Istanbul in US summer	Istanbul in US winter
9 a.m. Eastern	4 p.m.	5 p.m.
1 p.m. Eastern	8 p.m.	9 p.m.
9 a.m., western Panhandle (Central)	5 p.m.	6 p.m.

How large are Miami's and Tampa's Arab communities?

Metro Miami counts about 48,800 residents of Arab ancestry and metro Tampa about 32,200. Lebanese is the largest Arab ancestry in Florida, followed by Egyptian and Syrian. The Arab American Institute lists Egypt, Morocco and Syria as the top origins of new Arab immigrants between 2017 and 2021. Depending on the family, the room may be a majlis, a jalsa or a diwan.

Place	What the figures show	Source
Florida	About 151,500 Floridians report Arab ancestry, about 0.7% of the state	ACS 5-year
Florida	About 204,100 identified as Middle Eastern or North African, alone or in combination	2020 Census
Florida	Lebanese about 53,000, Egyptian about 21,400 and Syrian about 17,500	ACS 5-year
Miami metro	About 48,800 residents of Arab ancestry, about 0.8% of the metro	ACS 5-year
Tampa metro	About 32,200 residents of Arab ancestry, about 1.0%; Lebanese, Egyptian and Moroccan lead	ACS 5-year
Florida, 2017 to 2021	Egypt, Morocco and Syria the top origins of new Arab immigrants	Arab American Institute

What do Florida coffee shops order: benches, spare covers or whole rooms?

A coffee shop that wants one bench in another color can order a covers-only set any time. The color changes while the foam stays. Each color has a number on the color card. Quote the same number again when you order for a second location. Ask us for a design consultation — we can talk through your room on a video call. Our majlis seating for cafés and coffee houses shows the formats.

Local questions

We own a U-shaped cushion set with 8 in (20 cm) bases. Can benches follow the same U?

Send the inside length of each side and confirm that the base cushions are 8 in (20 cm) thick. The designer then says whether benches can follow your U and which frame lengths fit each side.

My floor measures about 132 × 108 in (335 × 274 cm). Can one rug cover it?

Rugs bought alone come in stock sizes from 31.5 × 79 in (80 × 200 cm) to 79 × 118 in (200 × 300 cm), and not every design is made in every size, so a floor that wide takes two or more identical rugs side by side. A rug can also be made to your room's size; note the pattern name so later rugs match.

Part of my set has not arrived, or a cover will not close. What happens now?

On delivery day, count every piece against the packing list and photograph anything missing or ill-fitting, 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.

I like the wooden majlis, but a full-sponge version may suit my room better. What changes?

Most designs can be built with or without a wooden base and backrests, so ask for the same design both ways. A full-foam majlis has no wood or metal frame and no springs inside, while a model with a wooden base and backrest can stand free of a wall.