---
title: "Yemeni & Arabic Majlis in the USA: Room Sizes and Seat Heights"
url: "https://orientalsofa.com/yemeni-majlises-for-usa/"
lang: "en"
dir: "ltr"
date_published: "2025-01-13T00:00:00+00:00"
date_modified: "2026-10-13T00:00:00+00:00"
author: "Sadeem"
---

# Yemeni and Arabic Majlis for American Homes, Cut to Your Walls

In a detached American house the living room usually has one long back wall, so a Yemeni majlis in the USA often becomes a U along three walls, while a city apartment takes an L. Our Istanbul atelier cuts the seats, backrests and armrests to wall lengths you can send in feet and inches, with seat heights from 4 in (10 cm) to 16 in (40 cm).

## Questions buyers ask

### Are you based in the US, or does the majlis come from overseas?

Each majlis is cut, sewn and filled to order in our Istanbul atelier; no sets are on display anywhere in the US. Measuring help, fabric photos and layout drawings are handled by WhatsApp, email or video call. Delivery to the US and Canada is by tracked express courier — ask us for the current transit estimate.

### Have you made Yemeni majlis for other Yemeni families living in the US?

Yemeni-style majlis are a regular part of the atelier's work. Buyers' contact details stay private, so we don't pass them on, but the team can send videos of completed Yemeni majlis in the pattern and seat height you are considering.

### Are sales tax and customs part of the delivered total for US orders?

Customs terms for US deliveries are stated on your quote before you pay. Whether a state sales tax applies depends on where you live, and it sits apart from the shipping terms. Delivery costs depend on your country and order size — your quote shows them before you pay. If you need the full landed figure for budgeting or resale, ask for it before paying.

## Which layout fits an American home: an L in the living room or a U in the basement?

A U suits the long back wall of a detached living room or a finished basement, and an L suits a city apartment, but region matters too: about half of new homes in the Northeast and Midwest have a basement, while the slab-built South keeps the majlis in the living room, with patio seating in mild months. The duty and courier steps for American orders are covered in our [delivery and duty notes by country](https://orientalsofa.com/delivery/).

| Home | What the figures show | Layout that usually fits | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Detached houses, nationally | About 61.3% of US housing units | A U along three living-room walls | ACS 5-year |
| New homes, Northeast and Midwest | Basements in about 53% and 50% | A basement U or a full room | Survey of Construction |
| New homes, South | Basements in about 4%, most built on a slab | A living-room L, with patio seating in mild months | Survey of Construction |
| Brooklyn and Dearborn | About 4.8% against 73.9% of homes detached | A compact L in one, a room-length U in the other | ACS 5-year |

## How do you measure an American room in feet and inches for an L or a U?

1. Measure each wall corner to corner at floor level; feet and inches are fine if every number carries its unit.
2. Say whether each figure is a wall length or the cushion length you want, since the team takes corners off wall lengths only.
3. On a U, expect each side run to take about 27.5 in (70 cm) of seat depth off the back wall, so the corner cushions never overlap.
4. Mark floor registers, baseboard heaters and the bottom step of any basement stair.

> A buyer in the US ordered two blue sets together: a complete set for the living room and a second floor-level L of seats, backs and armrests only for a study. The study walls measured 96 in (244 cm) and 72 in (183 cm). The team converted these into cushions: one 72 × 27 × 4 in (183 × 69 × 10 cm) run and one shortened 69 × 27 × 4 in (175 × 69 × 10 cm) run, which is the 96 in (244 cm) wall minus the 27 in (69 cm) seat depth, each with two backrests and two armrests, plus a corner backrest to pad the angle. The buyer asked for photos of the corner backrest and for color advice to match the study's wall paint. Later the same buyer came back to order an L-shaped full set for an adult daughter's room measuring 120 in (305 cm) by 140 in (356 cm) wall to wall.

Our [room-measuring guide with a printable worksheet](https://orientalsofa.com/guides/how-to-measure-for-a-majlis/) shows where each number goes, and the [majlis planner](https://orientalsofa.com/tools/majlis-planner/) turns feet into seats and backrests.

## Which seat height suits a family with older parents: 4 in (10 cm), 8 in (20 cm), 12 in (30 cm) or 16 in (40 cm)?

Many American homes seat grandparents raised on floor cushions beside grandchildren who were not, so height matters here more than pattern. A 4 in (10 cm) or 8 in (20 cm) seat keeps the low line of a majlis, while 16 in (40 cm) is the tallest all-foam seat and the closest to an ordinary sofa. A wooden bench, about 16 in (40 cm) high with its cushion, gives the same height on a frame, and our [floor sofa sets in single, L and U shapes](https://orientalsofa.com/floor-sofas/) show the lower options.

> Height is the one choice the whole family feels at once: the grandmother who learned to sit on floor cushions and the teenager who never did both have to stand up again after dinner. The names change from Sana'a to Baghdad to Rabat, and the welcome stays the same.

## How does a majlis fit around floor vents, baseboard heaters and narrow stairs?

Measure each floor register or baseboard heater, its length and its distance from both corners: the usual answers are a gap in the run, a shorter cushion beside the vent, or a raised wooden base that lets warm air pass underneath. Foam pieces travel vacuum-compressed, so most boxes pass an ordinary interior door; if a basement stair is unusually tight, send its width before shipping.

## What makes a majlis feel Yemeni: more backrests and a patterned side band?

In many Yemeni homes the backrests stand shoulder to shoulder along the whole wall, more of them than a standard set carries. Tell the team how many people sit along each wall, and extra 37.5 × 16 × 4 in (95 × 40 × 10 cm) backrests are added, with 23.5 × 16 × 4 in (60 × 40 × 10 cm) corner backrests where two runs meet. The side band of the seat, the hizam, can be cut from the patterned fabric so the design wraps the edge instead of stopping at the top; our [Yemeni majlis designs](https://orientalsofa.com/yemeni-majlis/) show both details.

![Crimson velvet majlis on every wall with ivory and gold medallion panels on the bases, tasseled bolsters and two cream and gold rugs](https://orientalsofa.com/media/cr/crimson-velvet-majlis-ivory-gold-medallions-angle-01-1426.webp)

*Crimson velvet seating with ivory and gold medallion panels carried down onto the base bands.*

## How do delivery and import duties work for US addresses?

Sets travel in vacuum-packed boxes, each with its own tracking number, and the boxes can reach your state on different days. Nothing waits in a US warehouse.

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.

> A US buyer furnishing a new home asked whether thicker foam was available, then ordered a black U-shaped majlis with 8 in (20 cm) seating. When she opened the first box she found 4 in (10 cm) cushions and assumed the wrong thickness had been sent. The team explained that the 8 in (20 cm) seat is made of two 4 in (10 cm) cushions stacked, and that the order had shipped as six cushions across three boxes, each in its own vacuum bag. She had opened only one box, which held two cushions and four pillows. Once the other boxes were opened and the layers stacked, the seats reached their full height. With that cleared up, she went on to order a matching grey-toned rug separately.

| Where you are | Hours behind Istanbul | Your 8 a.m. reaches the atelier at |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Eastern, summer | 7 | 3 p.m. |
| Eastern, winter | 8 | 4 p.m. |
| Central | Summer 8, winter 9 | 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. |
| Pacific | Summer 10, winter 11 | 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. |

## Where do Arab and Yemeni American communities live?

California, Michigan and New York together count about 759,000 residents of Arab ancestry, roughly a third of the national total. Yemeni families gather in Dearborn and Hamtramck in Michigan and in Brooklyn and Lackawanna in New York, while Lebanese, Egyptian, Palestinian and Iraqi households spread from California to New Jersey.

| Place | What the figures show | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | About 2,255,221 residents of Arab ancestry | ACS 5-year |
| United States | About 3,522,000 Middle Eastern or North African, alone or in combination | 2020 Census |
| Largest groups | Lebanese about 597,000, Egyptian about 330,000; Yemeni counted in Other Arab, about 398,000 | ACS 5-year |
| Top states | California 344,369, Michigan 218,643, New York 196,462, Texas 178,004 | ACS 5-year |
| Michigan | Highest MENA share of any state, about 3.1% | 2020 Census |
| Related groups | Afghan about 187,000, Somali about 166,000, Assyrian and Chaldean about 94,000 | ACS 5-year |

## When should you order for Ramadan, Eid, graduations or a family wedding?

The American calendar adds its own dates to Ramadan and Eid: May and June graduations, Thanksgiving, weddings and a nikkah at home. Give the event date in your first request, before choosing fabric, so the team can say whether a custom size fits in time. Production time depends on your layout and the season — ask us for the current schedule.

Planning around Ramadan, Eid or a wedding? Tell us your date when you ask for a quote and we'll confirm what's achievable.

## Frequently asked questions

### Will I owe customs, tariffs or import fees when my floor sofa set is delivered in the US?

Check the customs terms for your order before confirming it. Your quote states how duties are handled for your order, and the customs note in the delivery section shows the current terms.

### The room upstairs has wall-to-wall carpet. Will a rug and floor cushions slide on it?

A rug laid over wall-to-wall carpet can creep, especially under seats people push back against. A non-slip underlay cut slightly smaller than the rug holds it in place, and backrests set firmly against the wall stop the seat cushions from walking forward.

### Can I order only the seating, without the rug, ottoman or coffee tables?

Seating can be quoted on its own: floor cushions, backrests, armrests and throw pillows. The matching rug, ottoman table, poufs and wooden coffee tables are optional extras you can add now, later or not at all.

### Can I start with a small set before furnishing a bigger room?

Starting small is common: some buyers begin with a compact L of about 79 in (200 cm) by 79 in (200 cm), or with one room of a two-room project, to check fabric and comfort at home before ordering the larger set in the same fabric.

## Related pages

- [Arabic majlis sets, made to the walls of your room](https://orientalsofa.com/arabic-majlis/)
- [Arabic Sofa In California](https://orientalsofa.com/arabic-sofa-in-california/)
- [Oriental Arabic Sofas In New York](https://orientalsofa.com/oriental-arabic-sofas-in-new-york/)
- [Arabic Sofa in Saudi Arabia: Majlis Seating for Large Family Homes](https://orientalsofa.com/arabic-sofa-in-saudi-arabia/)
- [Arabic Sofas and Majlis Seating for Hawaii Homes](https://orientalsofa.com/arabic-sofa-in-hawaii/)
- [Arabic Sofas and Majlis Seating for Illinois Homes](https://orientalsofa.com/arabic-sofa-in-illinois/)
- [Arabic Sofas and Floor Majlis for Indiana Homes, Built or Being Built](https://orientalsofa.com/arabic-sofa-in-indiana/)
- [Arabic Sofa In Arizona](https://orientalsofa.com/arabic-sofa-in-arizona/)
- [Oriental Arabic Majlis In Ohio](https://orientalsofa.com/oriental-arabic-majlis-in-ohio/)
- [Oriental Arabic Sofas in Maine](https://orientalsofa.com/oriental-arabic-sofas-in-maine/)
- [Oriental Floor Sets in Michigan](https://orientalsofa.com/oriental-floor-sets-in-michigan/)
- [Oriental Arabic Sofas in New Jersey](https://orientalsofa.com/oriental-arabic-sofas-in-new-jersey/)

## Sources

- [US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B04006 (ancestry)](https://censusreporter.org/tables/B04006/)
- [US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25024 (units in structure)](https://censusreporter.org/tables/B25024/)
- [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, Survey of Construction, characteristics of new housing (foundation type)](https://www.census.gov/construction/chars/)