How to arrange a majlis with sofas: layouts and seating

A majlis is a room for welcoming people, so its layout is judged by how it feels for guests. Four things matter more than any style:

• Everyone faces each other. No guest sits with their back to the room or to the host.
• Every seat has a surface within reach for a coffee cup, a glass of water or a plate of dates.
• The host can serve easily, walking around the room with the coffee pot without squeezing past knees.
• Guests can come and go without crossing the middle of the room or stepping over feet.

Traditionally, a majlis is lined with low seating along the walls. Today, many villas and apartments use sofas to the same end, and the same principles apply. Many homes keep a formal majlis for guests and a family room for everyday life; our guide to choosing a majlis sofa or a family room sofa covers the sofa itself, while this guide is about the layout and the seating plan.

The usual measure is about 60 cm of seat per guest. It gives each person room for their shoulders and a little personal space, which matters over a long evening. At a squeeze, 50 cm works for a short while.

Measure along the front of the seats, and count roughly one seat less for each inside corner, where knees meet. A corner sofa like the Doudou, 352 cm wide with a 210 cm chaise, seats four or five adults comfortably on its own; add a 3-seater and two armchairs and you are close to ten.

1. The U shape. A long sofa or corner sofa across the far end, and two sofas facing each other along the sides, with the fourth side open towards the way in. Everyone faces the centre and the host serves from the open side. It is the most natural majlis with sofas. For a smaller majlis, a modular sofa such as Comfo comes as a U-shape of five or six modules, up to 457 cm wide, and its modules can be separated and rearranged whenever the gathering changes.
2. Facing sofas. Two sofas face each other across low tables, with both ends open, or one end closed by a pair of armchairs. It suits smaller rooms and formal reception rooms; our guide to two sofas facing each other gives the distances.
3. Along the walls. Seating follows three or even four walls, as in a traditional majlis. It works best when the room is no wider than about 5 m, so that guests facing each other sit within about 3 m. In a larger room, bring the seating in from the walls and keep a walkway behind it.
4. A corner sofa with poufs. In an apartment, one corner sofa facing a row of poufs or floor cushions gives the same face-to-face feeling in far less space.

With a corner sofa in any of these layouts, choose the chaise side so that the open end faces the way in. Left and right are always named as seen when you face the sofa, so check each sofa from its own front. Choosing between the two big shapes? Our guide to U shape or L shape sofas compares them.

In many homes, the seats at the far end of the majlis, facing the way in, are where the host and the most honoured guests sit. Everyone who enters sees them first and can greet them directly. Give that side your most comfortable seating, a table within easy reach and the best light.

Keep the entrance side open. Guests arriving should be able to walk in, greet the room and reach a free seat without crossing in front of others. If you add seats near the way in, use poufs or armchairs that are easy to move as the evening fills up.

For elderly guests, choose seats they can rise from easily: a supportive, upright seat around 45 cm high is kinder on knees than a deep, low lounge seat. On our sofas, the Classic seat comfort is the one you sit on and get up from easily, and it costs the same as the softer Cocoon.

In a majlis, the host or a family member often walks around the room pouring coffee for each guest in turn. Plan that route like a corridor: about 90 cm wide, behind the tables or around the open side of the U, never through a narrow gap between knees and a table.

• Distance. Keep low tables 40 to 50 cm from the front of the seats. If the person serving needs to step in between, open it up to about 60 cm.
• Height. A table at seat height or up to 5 cm lower is easy to reach while sitting. With the Snoozo's 36 cm seat, that means 31 to 36 cm.
• Shape. Several small tables, or one long and narrow table, work better than one big square in the middle, because every guest can reach a surface.
• Side tables. Put one at every sofa end and between sofas, so nobody holds a cup for the whole evening.

Majlis evenings can last for hours, so comfort deserves as much thought as the layout. A deep seat lets guests sit back or fold their legs under them, which many people do in a majlis. The Doudou's 65 cm seat depth is made for that; for guests who prefer to sit upright, add a firm cushion behind the back.

Seat height matters too. Traditional majlis seating is low, and sofas between about 40 and 46 cm keep that relaxed feeling while staying easy to rise from. The Doudou's seat sits at 45 cm.

Then there is the fabric. A majlis sees coffee, tea, perfume and oud, and in the UAE fine sand finds its way into every room. A fabric that is easy to brush and vacuum keeps a majlis fresh through a busy season, and a light or mid tone, such as the Doudou in Ivory, Olive or Grey, suits a calm, welcoming room. You can see how our fabrics feel on our fabrics page.

Draw the room to scale on squared paper, one square for 10 cm, and place the sofas, the tables and a 90 cm serving path. Then mark the outlines on the floor with masking tape and walk the route with a tray in your hands. You will feel at once where a table needs to move or a gap needs to widen.

Each sofa page has a Will it fit? tool: type the length of a wall and see the wall and the sofa drawn to scale, with the centimetres to spare. Comfo comes as a U-shape of five or six modules; for a longer majlis shape, such as a bench along three walls, ask for a custom sofa: the team replies within 48 hours with a drawing and a price. Planning for a busy season? Our guide to hosting for Ramadan and Eid has more ideas.