Does a detached house take an L, a U or one long run?
The American Community Survey puts single-family detached houses at about 71% of West Virginia's housing units. A family room there usually has long walls to fill. Tell the designer how many adults the room must seat, and the plan follows.
| Guests | Plan that fits | Seat cushions |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 3 | One run along a wall | 1, up to 75 in (190 cm) long |
| 5 to 6 | An L across two walls | 2 |
| 8 to 9 | A U across three walls | 3 |
| 10 or more | A made-to-measure run drawn from your walls | Equal seats of up to 75 in (190 cm) |
At the corner of an L or a U, one run ends against the other, so the second run is cut a seat depth shorter, about 27.5 in (70 cm). Our guide to majlis layouts covers each shape.
From the atelier
Questions buyers ask
- We need eight to ten couches at a comfortable height for eating. What should a restaurant order?
- Choose raised seats, which run 14.5 in (37 cm) to 16 in (40 cm) depending on the model; at 16 in (40 cm) a raised seat is about as high as a regular sofa. Send the table heights, the room plan and the number of seats, and the designer lays out the seating runs around the tables.
- What does a restaurant need to send before a seating plan can be drawn?
- Send wall-to-wall measurements, the positions of tables and doors, and photos of the room. The designer returns a layout and a quote for the whole room. Custom orders start with a layout plan for your approval.
What does a restaurant measure first: the door, the aisle or the wall?
- Walk the route from the entrance to the farthest seat and mark it on the sketch, because seating stops where that route begins.
- Draw every door and table on the sketch with its width, then measure the walls that will carry seating, corner to corner.
- Write down the finished height of each table, so the seat can be matched to it.
- Photograph every corner and the table layout, or walk the room on the video call.
Eating at a table: how high should the seat be?
A seat that is too low leaves guests leaning over the plate. A seat that is too high sends knees into the table edge. I check the seat against the real tables, never against a number on a spec sheet.
| Build | Seat height | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| All-foam majlis | 12 in (30 cm) or about 16 in (40 cm) | Leans against a wall or another firm surface |
| Wooden-base majlis | 14.5 in (37 cm) to 16 in (40 cm), depending on the model | Not made lower |
| Wooden bench with seat cushion | about 16 in (40 cm) | 75 × 27.5 × 16 in (190 × 70 × 40 cm), cushion included |
The atelier furnishes restaurants, cafés and coffee houses with made-to-measure floor seating. Its Sedir Bench line sits firmer than the all-foam sets. Where an aisle is tight, seat depth can be narrowed to about 19.5 in (50 cm) to 23.5 in (60 cm). Our commercial seating hub for cafés, halls and events covers the wider range.
How does a West Virginia order arrive, and what time is it in Istanbul?
Count on more than one box. An L usually ships in two or three, a larger layout in more, and they can reach the address on different days. Each box is tracked separately, and the numbers are emailed once the order ships. The delivery notes by country cover the import step.
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.
| US Eastern time | Gap with Istanbul |
|---|---|
| Summer, 9 a.m. | Istanbul is 7 hours ahead: 4 p.m. |
| Winter, 9 a.m. | Istanbul is 8 hours ahead: 5 p.m. |
How big is West Virginia's Lebanese community, and who else is counted?
The American Community Survey counts about 6,400 West Virginia residents of Arab ancestry, and about half of them are Lebanese. Across the state line, Virginia's majlis page looks at Fairfax flats and cafés.
| Place | What the figures show | Source |
|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | About 6,358 residents of Arab ancestry, 0.36% of the state | ACS 5-year |
| West Virginia | Lebanese about 3,108, Syrian about 910, Egyptian about 860 | ACS 5-year |
| West Virginia | About 8,053 residents identified as Middle Eastern or North African, 0.45% | 2020 Census |
| West Virginia homes | 74.9% owner-occupied, 70.9% single-family detached, 3.1% in buildings of 20 or more units | ACS 5-year |
| Charleston | January average high 45°F (7°C), July average high 86°F (30°C), about 31.5 in (80 cm) of snow a year | Station normals |
| West Virginia climate | Seven months, April to October, with average highs between 64°F (18°C) and 90°F (32°C) | Derived from station normals |
Local questions
A dining room wall is 335 in (850 cm) long. How is it divided into seats?
No seat piece is longer than about 75 in (190 cm), so a longer wall is divided into equal seats: 335 in (850 cm) becomes five seats of 67 in (170 cm). Equal seats also keep a pattern lined up along the run and pack flat for the trip.
Can a run of seating stand in the middle of a room instead of against a wall?
A floor sofa needs a wall or another firm surface at its back, so a run in the middle of a room calls for a model with a wooden base and a wooden backrest. A side with no wall behind it can take metal back supports, added on request.
Can a wooden-base seat hold storage underneath?
Storage under the seat is possible on wooden-base builds, and some wooden-frame models include built-in drawers. Ask for it when you send the room plan, so the base is drawn with the storage in it.
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, tables B25003, B25024 and B25035 (tenure, units in structure, year built)
- Charleston, West Virginia climate normals, 1991 to 2020
