Plan & Measure Your Majlis

Which planning questions do the guides answer?

The guides answer five planning questions, in the order a room is usually planned: how long each wall is, which layout fits, how high the seat sits, what the set contains and what goes into the quote. The numbers repeat from guide to guide, because every run is built from the same seat cushion of 75 in (190 cm):

• Measuring: each seating wall from corner to corner, with doors, windows and vents marked
• Layouts: one straight run, an L-shape, a U-shape or a full room cut to length
• Seat height: 4 in (10 cm), 8 in (20 cm), 12 in (30 cm) or 16 in (40 cm) from the floor
• Set contents: a single full set has 10 pieces, an L has 14 and a U has 19
• Quotes: seating length, shape, seat height, build and fabric line

Which layout fits the walls you have?

The layout that fits is the one your walls allow: one wall takes a single run, two walls an L-shape and three walls a U-shape. A standard single run fills a wall of about 75 in (190 cm), the length of one seat cushion. An L-shape covers about 75 × 102 in (190 × 260 cm) of floor, and a U-shape needs walls of about 75 in (190 cm), 130 in (330 cm) and 75 in (190 cm):

Real walls rarely match these numbers, so the plan adjusts. On an L or a U, the cushion on the second wall is shorter by one seat depth, about 27.5 in (70 cm), because the first run already fills the corner. No seat piece runs longer than about 75 in (190 cm), so a long wall is split into two or more cushions. When a wall measures a little short, I let the foam absorb up to about 2 in (5 cm) rather than recut. An L-shape is a conversation, and a U-shape is a gathering.

Which seat height suits each room?

The right seat height depends on who uses the room most: low seats suit a classic floor-style room, and higher ones suit guests who find low seats hard to leave. Height is measured from the floor to the top of the seat, in four steps:

• 4 in (10 cm): the classic low seat close to the floor, also suited to a prayer room
• 8 in (20 cm): the usual low-seater height for an everyday family room
• 12 in (30 cm): easier to leave, a sound choice when older relatives visit often
• 16 in (40 cm): about the seat height of a regular living-room sofa

Wooden-base majlis models are built at about 14.5 in (37 cm) to 16 in (40 cm) and are not made lower. On foam sets, a seat of 8 in (20 cm) can be one solid block or two stacked 4 in (10 cm) layers. Adding a 8 in (20 cm) layer later takes a 8 in (20 cm) set to 16 in (40 cm).

Which designs can be cut to the length of your walls?

Most designs can be cut to your walls, using cut-to-length seats, small filler seats and backrests split evenly over each seat. Some ready-made, velvet and patterned models come only in 75 in (190 cm) modules with fixed backrest shapes, so pick the design before the layout is drawn. Seats are about 27.5 in (70 cm) deep on floor sofa sets and about 29.5 in (75 cm) deep on custom and raised majlis. The catalog of all majlis and floor sofa designs shows each family, and the Arabic majlis sofa sets hub covers pieces, thickness and builds.

Where do you start before asking for a layout?

Three short tasks come first, in this order:

1. Decide which walls will take seating; that choice settles whether the plan is a single run, an L or a U.
2. Choose a seat height between 4 in (10 cm) and 16 in (40 cm) from the list above.
3. Send each wall's length in one unit, with a quick sketch and a few wide photos of the room.

Every piece on the layout plan carries its own measurement, so a wrong number shows up on paper first.