How many seats does a Maryland sunroom, living room or cafe corner need?
The US Census Bureau's American Community Survey counts about 51.2% of Maryland housing units as single-family detached and about 10.2% in buildings of 20 or more units, so a plan may begin in a Baltimore apartment or a suburban sunroom. How seat height and piece size change between those two rooms is compared across American homes in room sizes and seat heights for US homes.
| Setting | Layout | Seat pieces | Seats about |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cafe bench you already own | Cushions cut to the bench top | One seat per bench section | 2 to 3 guests per 75 in (190 cm) |
| Sunroom with three seated walls | U | Back run in full, each side run 27.5 in (70 cm) shorter | 8 to 9 adults in a full U |
| Living room with two seated walls | L | Second run 27.5 in (70 cm) shorter than its wall | 5 to 6 adults in a standard L |
| Coffee corner for an older parent | One short seat | About 39 in (100 cm), with an end armrest | 1 to 2 adults |
From the atelier
Questions buyers ask
- Our cafe already has wooden U-shaped benches. Do the cushions need staples or glue to stay on?
- Neither is needed. A cushion cut to the bench top sits on it and does not slide in normal use, so it stays easy to lift off. Send the length, depth and shape of every bench, U-shaped corners included, and each seat is cut to its own bench instead of a catalog size.
- Is there a store in Maryland where we can see a majlis before buying?
- Orders are placed online or by message, so there is no Maryland store to walk into. On a video call the designer shows finished seating and foam on camera. Ask us about fabric swatches and a foam sample before you order. We don't have a showroom; ask us for a sample box or a video call.
How do you measure a sunroom with window sills, or a cafe bench with a U-shaped corner?
- Start at the windows and write down the sill height beside each one, because backrests have to sit below the sill.
- In a sunroom, measure the back wall from corner to corner and each side from that wall to where the seating should stop.
- For a cafe bench, give the length, depth and shape of each bench top, and say where a U-shaped bench turns the corner.
- Leave a small gap at each wall end, since foam cushions forgive a measuring difference of up to about 2 in (5 cm).
Try the lengths in the majlis planner before you send them; the worksheet in our guide to measuring a room for a majlis keeps the numbers in order.
Which seat height lets an older parent rise from the coffee corner?
For someone who finds low seats hard to rise from, 12 in (30 cm) or the 16 in (40 cm) sofa-height option is the better choice, and at 16 in (40 cm) a raised majlis sits about as high as a regular living-room sofa. A wooden-base model is built at 14.5 in (37 cm) to 16 in (40 cm) depending on the model.
What can change when one color in a pattern is wrong for the room?
The colors woven into a pattern cannot be swapped one at a time, so a design with a green you dislike gives way to one whose palette already holds your gray, black, gold or navy. Some patterned designs are not woven in true black, and a very dark navy or charcoal is usually the closest match.
Plain colors are picked by number from our fabric color card, so a solid can be made in a shade that was never photographed. Tables and ottomans can be covered in a solid taken from the set, and curtains are made to measure in up to three layers: a sheer, a main color layer and an optional decorative top layer.
How does an order travel to a Maryland address?
The cushions are pressed, rolled and vacuum-sealed before they are boxed. An L usually fills two or three boxes and a larger layout more, and the boxes may reach you on different days, each with its own tracking number emailed once the order ships. Import charges for a US order are stated in your quote.
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.
Istanbul runs 7 to 8 hours ahead of Eastern time, so a Maryland morning meets the Istanbul afternoon.
| Maryland clock (Eastern) | Istanbul in summer | Istanbul in winter |
|---|---|---|
| 9 a.m. | 4 p.m. | 5 p.m. |
| Noon | 7 p.m. | 8 p.m. |
| 6 p.m. | 1 a.m. the next day | 2 a.m. the next day |
Which Arab and Afghan communities live around Baltimore and the Washington suburbs?
Lebanese, Egyptian and other Arab residents make up most of Maryland's Arab-ancestry count, while Afghan and Sudanese residents are counted separately; for Afghan-style floor seating, see our Afghan toshak designs.
| Place | What the figures show | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland | Arab ancestry: about 35,600 residents, about 0.57% of the state | ACS 5-year |
| Maryland | Middle Eastern or North African: about 63,700 residents, about 1.03% | 2020 Census |
| Maryland | Lebanese about 7,600, other Arab about 6,800 and Egyptian about 6,700 | ACS 5-year |
| Maryland | Afghan about 5,800 and Sudanese about 2,700, counted separately | ACS 5-year |
| Washington metro area | About 86,700 residents of Arab ancestry and about 25,600 of Afghan ancestry, the largest metro count in the US | ACS 5-year |
| South Atlantic division | About 85.7% of new single-family starts in 2024 were slab-on-grade | Census Survey of Construction |
| Baltimore | January highs about 43°F (6°C), July highs about 90°F (32°C), snow about 19.5 in (49 cm) a year | NOAA normals |
What should a Maryland cafe settle before ordering cushions for benches it already has?
A cafe with built benches rarely wants a new room, only seats that fit what is already there. Each cushion is cut to its own bench top, and one order can mix thicknesses: 4 in (10 cm) on benches that already give height, a thicker seat for a floor corner, all chosen from four steps of 4 in (10 cm), 8 in (20 cm), 12 in (30 cm) and 16 in (40 cm).
The Sedir Bench line sits firmer than our all-foam sets and is a common choice for cafes and restaurants. Seating for cafes and shisha cafes has its own page, Arabic majlis for cafes.
Local questions
We are buying a house and cannot measure until closing. Can the sunroom be planned before then?
A first drawing can be made from an approximate layout taken from the listing photos or floor plan, and the real wall-to-wall lengths replace it once you have the keys. Production starts only from those final numbers, so the early drawing is a planning guide, not an order.
Can I build my own piece list, for example six seats and no extra pillows?
A set can be rebuilt around your own piece list: six 4 in (10 cm) seats, two backrests per seat and an armrest for each, leaving out the pouf pillows. A matching rug can go on the quote as its own line.
Can a made-to-measure U be ready before Eid?
Count back from the holiday. Production time depends on your layout and the season — ask us for the current schedule. Delivery comes on top of that. Give the date in your first message so the team can say what is achievable.
Is a custom order paid at once or in stages?
Custom orders are paid in stages through a secure payment link — your quote sets out the schedule. A made-to-measure order starts with a layout you approve and a quote, and payment goes through a secure payment link; extras added later get their own link.
Sources
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B04006 (ancestry)
- US Census Bureau, 2020 Census DHC-A: the Middle Eastern and North African population
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25024 (units in structure)
- US Census Bureau, Survey of Construction, with NAHB analysis of foundation types
- NOAA climate normals, 1991 to 2020, Baltimore
