Arabic floor sofas and floor seating sets

The range is built from three choices: layout, seat thickness and cover. Layout follows your walls, as one straight run, an L or a U. Thickness decides how low you sit. The cover sets the look, from kilim-style weaves to plain velvet and linen. Moroccan floor seating is a separate collection of floor couches in four fixed lengths.

A single floor sofa fits a wall of about 75 in (190 cm), and every extra wall of an L or a U adds one seat cushion.

Where two walls meet, the first seat already fills the corner, so the next cushion is cut about 27.5 in (70 cm) shorter. A wall up to about 2 in (5 cm) longer than planned needs no change, and a bigger gap takes a seat cut to length. Foam forgives a lot. A crooked cut is not on that list. Compare your room with the plans in majlis layouts.

A floor sofa needs no frame because the foam holds its own shape and the wall takes the lean. Seats use high-density polyurethane foam — ask us for the exact density for your build. A softer or firmer fill than the standard firm to medium-firm seat can be asked for. A wooden base is a different build, covered under Arabic majlis sofa sets.

A full set is the seating plus five extra pieces: three pouf pillows, one rug and one ottoman.

Sets are also sold in steps. The sofa-only step on a single set is 5 pieces, and later steps add the rug, the ottoman and the pillows. Two 4 in (10 cm) layers per seat double the seat cushions, bringing an L to 16 pieces and a U to 22.

Choose by the person who sits down most often: 4 in (10 cm) to 8 in (20 cm) for a classic floor room or prayer room, 12 in (30 cm) or 16 in (40 cm) for anyone who finds it hard to get up from a low seat.

For a first set I would start from 8 in (20 cm), the usual height for low seating. Stacked layers are loose, so a guest can sleep on the top one laid flat. A second 8 in (20 cm) layer later lifts the seat to 16 in (40 cm), about the height of a regular sofa.

Once unpacked, a floor sofa takes more floor than its boxes suggested. Each piece swells back to full size within about a day of leaving its vacuum bag. Leave a little room at each wall end so the foam can settle. Fabric color is easier to judge on a swatch from the majlis sample box than on a screen.

Ready-size sets are usually covered in a close-woven cotton and polyester blend. Covers unzip and can be machine-washed on a gentle 86°F (30°C) cycle. Velvet and linen sets are separate collections, and one set keeps one fabric throughout. Some velvet and patterned models come only in standard 75 in (190 cm) modules, so not every design can be cut to length.

• Kilim-style weave: patterned sets in single, L and U layouts
• Velvet: plain and trellis designs
• Linen-look weave: a matte, textured surface
• Outdoor fabric: water-repellent and mostly plain, for terraces

The team first confirms layout, thickness and fabric. Ready-made sets are packed soon after payment — ask us for the current dispatch time. Made-to-order sets take a little longer than ready ones — ask us for the current timing. Custom orders start with a layout plan for your approval. Every box is tracked once the order ships. What moves a quote up or down is set out in what shapes a majlis quote.

1. Send your walls
2. We draw the layout
3. You approve, then we cut

Backrests are separate pieces rather than sewn to the seat cushions, and ties can hold them in place. Because nothing is sewn together, one piece can come out for its cover to be unzipped and washed, and stacked seat layers lift apart the same way.

Navy blue, maroon and green are the colors asked for most. Solid colors are picked by number from the fabric color card, so a set can be made in a shade not yet photographed. A few patterned designs have no true black weave, so a very dark navy or charcoal is the nearest option.

About 23.5 in (60 cm) of a 27.5 in (70 cm) seat cushion is left for sitting, because a 4 in (10 cm) backrest takes up roughly 4 in (10 cm) of its depth. Allow for that when you compare a floor sofa with a deeper living-room sofa.