---
title: "Arabic Sofa in Iowa: Custom Majlis for Living Rooms & Basements"
url: "https://orientalsofa.com/arabic-sofa-in-iowa/"
lang: "en"
dir: "ltr"
date_published: "2024-11-07T00:00:00+00:00"
date_modified: "2026-10-13T00:00:00+00:00"
author: "Sadeem"
---

# Arabic Sofa in Iowa: Majlis Seating Made to Your Living Room

About 28% of occupied Iowa homes are rented, so an Arabic sofa in Iowa works best as separate floor cushions that can be rearranged in the next living room. A made-to-measure majlis starts from a phone photo of each wall; the Istanbul atelier sends back a layout, and nothing is cut until you approve the drawing.

## Questions buyers ask

### Where are you based, and is there anywhere in Iowa to see a set in person?

There is nowhere in Iowa to see a set in person, and no pickup point: the Istanbul atelier cuts, sews and finishes each set. Ask us about fabric swatches and a foam sample before you order.

### How long does a made-to-measure majlis take to reach a home in Iowa?

Production time depends on your layout and the season — ask us for the current schedule. Delivery to the US and Canada is by tracked express courier — ask us for the current transit estimate. If the majlis is for Ramadan or Eid, place the order early enough to leave room for both stages.

## Which layout seats a full house on a long Ramadan evening?

In the years when Ramadan falls in January or February, its long evenings of iftar and visiting land in the coldest weeks of an Iowa winter, and the whole family ends up in one room. One 75 in (190 cm) seat holds two or three adults, an L holds five or six and a U holds eight or nine, so the guest list settles the shape.

| Layout | Seat cushions | Floor it covers | Adults seated |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Single run | 1 | 75 in (190 cm) of one wall | 2 to 3 |
| L-shape | 2 | 75 × 102 in (190 × 260 cm) | 5 to 6 |
| U-shape | 3 | Walls of 75 in (190 cm), 130 in (330 cm) and 75 in (190 cm) | 8 to 9 |

Hosts who open the house for Ramadan plan early, and when to order before Ramadan and Eid is covered in our guide to Yemeni and Arabic majlis in the USA. The single, L-shaped and U-shaped [floor sofa sets](https://orientalsofa.com/floor-sofas/) start from these same three shapes.

![Ivory majlis with an orange baroque band along the base, a stone mosaic TV wall and an ivory rug with brown scrollwork](https://orientalsofa.com/media/iv/ivory-majlis-orange-baroque-band-stone-tv-wall-angle-01-1064.webp)

*Ivory seats with an orange baroque band, a patterned rug and swagged sheer curtains, matched as one room.*

## How do you plan a living room you rent or have not walked through yet?

1. Ask whoever manages the home for a floor plan, and copy the living-room walls onto a sketch marked as approximate.
2. Stand in each corner and photograph the opposite walls, with the doors, windows and floor vents in the frame.
3. Send the sketch and photos with rough lengths, and the designer draws a first layout from them.
4. Once you can enter the room, tape each wall from one corner to the next and replace the rough numbers.

> A buyer wanted a full-sponge L-shaped majlis with a 16 in (40 cm) seat for a living room of about 192 in (488 cm) by 216 in (549 cm) in a house in Iowa, while living in another state. Unable to measure, the buyer asked our team to look the house up online and choose between an L and a wrap-around layout. We explained that exterior images cannot show interior walls, doors or vents, and asked for a floor plan or someone on site with a tape. Our team suggested an L-shape with an optional separate single sofa. The buyer arranged for someone to measure the next day, and also asked for a carpet and window curtains in the same colour, which our team confirmed could be made along with a table set.

The room-measuring guide lists what to photograph, and the majlis planner turns rough lengths into a seat count.

## Which seat height lets the eldest guest rise without help?

In many homes the eldest guest decides the height. All-foam majlis models usually come at 12 in (30 cm) or about 16 in (40 cm), with lower floor-style seats of 4 in (10 cm) or 8 in (20 cm) on request, and wooden-base models are built at 14.5 in (37 cm) to 16 in (40 cm) depending on the model.

At 16 in (40 cm) the seat is level with a typical living-room sofa, which suits anyone who finds a low seat hard to rise from; with a backrest the total height reaches about 31.5 in (80 cm).

> Grandparents set the rules of the majlis, and grandchildren rearrange the cushions. I would let the eldest guest try a chair of the planned height first.

## Can the center table, curtains and rug match the seating?

Settle the seating fabric first, because the rest is matched to it. A rug is made to the room's measurements, and a long room can take more than one, so measure the open floor rather than the set; stock rugs run from 31.5 × 79 in (80 × 200 cm) to 79 × 118 in (200 × 300 cm), though not every size is made in every design.

Each window gets its own made-to-measure curtains, cut to reach the floor or the top of the backrest, in up to three layers, and they are ordered together with the seating. Table sets come as one large center table with four small ones around it, or as nesting sets of 5, 7 or 9 pieces.

## How do the boxes get to an Iowa address?

The cushions are pressed, rolled and vacuum-sealed, so a set ships in several boxes that may not all arrive on the same day, and every box has its own tracking number once the order ships. Delivery to the US and Canada is by tracked express courier — ask us for the current transit estimate. For the import side, see our [delivery notes by country](https://orientalsofa.com/delivery/).

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.

| Time zone in Iowa | Istanbul runs ahead by | At 9 a.m. with you, Istanbul reads |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Central, summer | 8 hours | 5 p.m. |
| Central, winter | 9 hours | 6 p.m. |

## How large are Iowa's Arab and Sudanese communities?

Census data count Sudanese ancestry apart from Arab ancestry, and in Iowa that group is larger than any single Arab ancestry group. Majlis, jalsa and diwan are different names for one idea: a room where guests sit low along the walls.

| Place | What the figures show | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Iowa | About 9,300 residents of Arab ancestry, 0.29% of the state | ACS 5-year |
| Iowa | About 11,300 Middle Eastern or North African, alone or in combination, 0.35% | 2020 Census |
| Iowa | Largest Arab groups: Lebanese about 3,400, other Arab 1,200, Egyptian 1,100 | ACS 5-year |
| Iowa | Sudanese about 6,600 and Somali about 1,700, counted separately | ACS 5-year |
| Iowa homes | 71.7% of occupied homes owner-occupied, 72.2% single-family detached, 6.9% in buildings with 20 or more units | ACS 5-year |

## Which room holds the majlis through an Iowa winter, and when does a patio work?

According to the 1991 to 2020 climate normals for Des Moines, January brings an average high near 30°F (-1°C) and the year about 36.5 in (93 cm) of snow, so the majlis is an indoor room for most months. Census construction data show that about half of new single-family homes in the Midwest have a basement, so a lower-level family room belongs in the plan too.

Only five months, May to September, average highs between 64°F (18°C) and 90°F (32°C), which is the window for patio seating, and a set made for it uses the water-repellent outdoor fabric.

## What does an Iowa shop need to know before ordering sets to resell?

A shop that wants to resell sets will want two answers first: where the sets are made, and on what terms they can be ordered. The first is [Istanbul](https://orientalsofa.com/about/), where the atelier cuts, sews and finishes each set. Terms depend on styles and quantities, so a trade enquiry through the wholesale page names the store, the styles to stock and the expected quantities.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does it change much if our living room is 157 in (400 cm) square or 236 in (600 cm) square?

In a U along three walls, a 157 in (400 cm) square room gives about 417 in (1060 cm) of seating and a 236 in (600 cm) square room about 654 in (1660 cm), as the back run gives up 27.5 in (70 cm) at each corner. Length, seat height and fabric drive the quote, so measure each wall first.

### If we move, can the same set go along the walls of the next home?

A set is made of separate seats, backrests and armrests, so the pieces can be arranged along other walls after a move, and single pieces can be ordered later for a longer room. Seats cut to one room may run long in another, so mention a planned move on the first sketch.

### Is a model available in green, or in another color of my choice?

Any color in the fabric range can go on most models, and solid colors are picked by number from the color card. Screens render color differently from daylight, so approve a shade from a sample.

### Can I talk to someone in Arabic and book a design call before I decide?

A short video call with the designer goes over the room, the model and the fabric, so keep a photo of each wall at hand. Ask us for a design consultation — we can talk through your room on a video call.

## Related pages

- [Plan your majlis from your wall measurements](https://orientalsofa.com/tools/majlis-planner/)
- [Arabic Sofa in Kansas: Choosing the Layout, Seat Height and Fabric](https://orientalsofa.com/arabic-sofa-in-kansas/)
- [Oriental Arabic Jalsah in South Dakota: Seating, Cushion Covers and Rugs](https://orientalsofa.com/oriental-arabic-jalsah-in-south-dakota/)
- [Oriental Arabic Jalsah for Oklahoma Homes](https://orientalsofa.com/oriental-arabic-jalsah-in-oklahoma/)
- [Oriental Arabic Sofas in Missouri for Homes, Basements and Restaurants](https://orientalsofa.com/oriental-arabic-sofas-in-missouri/)
- [How to Measure a Room for a Majlis, Wall by Wall](https://orientalsofa.com/guides/how-to-measure-for-a-majlis/)
- [Wholesale](https://orientalsofa.com/wholesale-arabic-sofas/)
- [Yemeni and Arabic Majlis for American Homes, Cut to Your Walls](https://orientalsofa.com/yemeni-majlises-for-usa/)

## 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 B25003 (tenure)](https://censusreporter.org/tables/B25003/)
- [US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25024 (units in structure)](https://censusreporter.org/tables/B25024/)
- [US Census Bureau, Characteristics of New Housing (foundation type)](https://www.census.gov/construction/chars/)
- [Des Moines climate normals, 1991 to 2020](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Des_Moines%2C_Iowa)