The oldest way to seat a room

Long before the three-seat sofa and the recliner and the ottoman-that-is-really-just-a-footrest, a whole world of homes solved the same problem — how to seat ten or twelve people in one room for an evening — with cushions on the floor along the wall. Bedouin tents did it, Ottoman drawing rooms did it, and today's Arabian Majlis and Turkish floor cushion set are the direct descendants of that idea, updated for an Australian living room with kids, guests and a coffee table.

This is a full guide to buying an authentic Arabian Majlis or Turkish floor cushion set in Australia — where the tradition came from, how our three configurations compare, which one fits which room, how to set it up, and how to care for the covers under Australian conditions.

A quick history: from Bedouin majlis to Ottoman sedir

The word majlis (Arabic: مجلس) means, literally, "a place of sitting" — the gathering room in a home where guests are received, coffee is served and conversation happens. In Bedouin and Gulf tradition, the majlis is defined less by furniture than by posture: everyone at the same level, low to the floor, no throne. The Ottoman parallel — the sedir — is the long bench-cushion set against the wall of a Turkish drawing room, running around two, three or four sides, with backrests propped against the wall itself.

Both share the same idea. A room becomes a majlis when the wall does the work of the sofa frame. You gain the entire centre of the floor for a coffee table, a tray of Turkish tea, a rug, children moving between adults. And you seat more people, more comfortably, than any three-seat lounge can.

The modern comeback of floor seating in Australian and Western homes has two drivers: the return of hosting culture (a room built for six close friends rather than four strangers watching television), and the wellness case for floor-level sitting posture. A majlis is both.

What makes an Arabian Majlis different from a regular sofa

• No fixed frame. Every cushion is a separate piece. You can rearrange the set — pull one seat out to a garden, tuck two into a bedroom for a reading corner — without moving furniture.
• Wall-hugging by design. The set runs along the wall, so the middle of the room stays open. In a small Australian apartment this can double the usable floor space.
• Hosting-scale by default. A rectangular Arabian Majlis seats 6–8 comfortably; a U-shape seats 12+. That is not a compromise — it is the whole point.
• Removable, washable covers. Every cotton cover unzips from the sponge insert. Machine-washable, replaceable, and easy to freshen for a new season.
• Made in Türkiye. Our sets are stitched in Turkey with dense sponge fill and cotton covers designed to hold shape through years of daily use.

The three Majlis configurations at Authentic Bazaar

Rather than list every colour, it is more useful to understand the three shapes we import. Each solves a different room problem. Once you know which shape fits your wall, choosing the colour palette is the fun part.

1. Rectangular Arabian Majlis Set — one-wall seating

The rectangular Arabian Majlis & Divan Set is the entry configuration. A single run of seat cushions and backrests along one wall, seating six to eight adults comfortably. This is the shape most first-time majlis buyers choose — it fits a standard Australian living-room wall without dominating the room, and at $349 it is the most accessible way into the floor-seating world.

Seven palettes to choose from:

• Aqua Elegance — soft coastal blue-green, works beautifully in Australian homes near the water.
• Navy Elegance — deep, composed navy; the safest colour for a room with existing patterns.
• Green — botanical, calming, sits well against plants and timber.
• Brown — grounded neutral; the everyday workhorse.
• Grey — modern minimalist; slides into contemporary interiors.
• Red Palace — traditional, warm, wedding-and-Eid-ready.
• Dark Red — richer than Red Palace, closer to burgundy, quieter under low light.

Best for: smaller living rooms, second lounges, teen rooms, home offices with a floor-seating corner, prayer rooms.

2. L-Shaped Arabian Majlis — corner seating for open-plan rooms

The L-shaped Arabian Majlis takes the rectangular idea and wraps it around a corner. Now two walls of the room are seating. This is the configuration for open-plan living areas where a corner has become dead space — a bay window, an alcove, the corner beside the fireplace — and you want to turn it into the most inviting seat in the house.

Six palettes at $899: Green Palace, Aqua Diamond, Brown Serenity, Navy Diamond, Red Palace and Blue Palace. The naming (Palace, Diamond, Serenity) refers to the pattern language woven into the cotton covers — palace patterns are richer and more traditional; diamond patterns are cleaner and more contemporary; serenity is the quietest of the three.

Best for: open-plan living rooms, alcoves, bay windows, families of four to six who want a genuine second seating zone.

3. U-Shaped Arabian Majlis — the full majlis, three walls of seating

The U-shaped configuration is the traditional Gulf and Ottoman majlis: three walls of seating around a central floor space, room for a low table, a rug and twelve or more people. This is the piece that turns a spare room into a majlis room — no other furniture required. At $1,325, it is a considered purchase, but for anyone who hosts extended family, hosts through Ramadan and Eid, or wants a genuine floor-seating room, it is the piece.

Six palettes: Navy Diamond, Red Palace, Green Palace, Brown Serenity, Blue Palace and our exclusive Maroon Palace — a deep, warm maroon that photographs beautifully under low evening light and is our most requested wedding-season palette.

Best for: dedicated majlis rooms, garages or granny flats converted to gathering rooms, extended-family homes, prayer rooms that double as reception spaces.

Beyond the three set shapes, we also stock Ottoman Floor Cushions and Turkish Floor Cushions as standalone pieces — perfect for extending an existing set, adding a fourth wall of seating, or scattering across a room for informal overflow.

Comparison: which configuration for which room

Configuration	Seats	Walls covered	Best room size	Price (AUD)	Best for
Rectangular Set	6–8	1	Small–medium living room	$349	First majlis, second lounge, prayer room
L-Shape	8–10	2 (corner)	Medium open-plan lounge	$899	Alcove, bay window, family seating
U-Shape	12+	3	Dedicated majlis room	$1,325	Hosting, Ramadan/Eid, extended family
Ottoman Floor Cushion	1	—	Add-on / freestanding	$100	Extending a set, overflow seating

How to choose the right Majlis for your home

By room

• Small living room / apartment: Rectangular Set against the longest wall. Frees the room's centre.
• Open-plan lounge with a dead corner: L-Shape wrapped into the corner. Turns dead space into the best seat.
• Dedicated gathering room: U-Shape. Nothing else in the room but a central rug and a low table.
• Prayer room: Rectangular Set works beautifully — low seating, cotton covers, easy to keep clean.
• Covered verandah or shaded outdoor area: Rectangular Set, brought in during heavy rain. Not designed to live outdoors permanently.

By style

• Coastal Australian: Aqua Elegance or Aqua Diamond, or Blue Palace. Sits well with linen, pale timber and white walls.
• Traditional / heritage: Red Palace or Maroon Palace. Warm, rich, wedding-and-Eid-appropriate.
• Modern neutral: Brown Serenity or Grey. Slides into contemporary interiors without dominating them.
• Botanical / green home: Green Palace. Works especially well against indoor plants and timber.
• Confident contemporary: Navy Diamond. The sharpest palette in the range.

By household

• Couple, first apartment: Rectangular Set. Learn how floor seating fits your life before scaling up.
• Family of four: L-Shape. Room for the kids to sprawl beside the adults.
• Extended family / entertainer: U-Shape. Genuinely seats twelve; genuinely different from a sofa.

Sizing: how big should your Majlis be?

Wall length is the number to measure before you choose. As a rule:

• Rectangular Set: needs roughly 2.4–2.8 m of clear wall.
• L-Shape: needs a corner with roughly 2.4–2.8 m of clear wall on each side.
• U-Shape: needs three walls with roughly 2.4–2.8 m clear each — most rooms 4×4 m and up.

Sets arrive vacuum-packed for delivery, so the "will it fit through the door?" question is easier than for a traditional sofa — the boxes are much slimmer than a delivered lounge. Cushions expand to full shape within 24 hours of unboxing.

A well-sized Turkish rug underneath (typically 160×230 for a Rectangular Set, 200×290 or larger for L and U shapes) grounds the whole composition and defines the majlis zone within a larger room.

Setting up your Majlis

From box to first tea takes about twenty minutes.

• Unbox all cushions and let them breathe. Vacuum-packed sponge takes 12–24 hours to reach full loft. Don't panic if they look flat at hour one.
• Position the seat cushions along the wall first. Push them tight against the skirting board; the backrests will lean against the wall behind them.
• Prop the backrests against the wall. They rest at a natural recline — no fixing required, but for high-traffic rooms with kids some people run a discreet strip of removable adhesive along the wall to stop them slipping down.
• Layer a rug under and a low table in front. The composition should read as: rug → seat cushions → backrests along the wall → low table in the centre.

Caring for your Majlis cushions

• Covers unzip and machine-wash. Cold water, gentle cycle, mild detergent. Line-dry in shade — direct Australian sun accelerates fade on the deeper palettes (Red Palace, Maroon Palace, Navy Diamond).
• Fillings are spot-clean only. Air the sponge fill outdoors every few months in a shaded spot to keep it fresh.
• Rotate the seat cushions every three months so the wear pattern stays even.
• Rest the backrests against the wall rather than storing them stacked — they hold shape better upright.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a rug underneath?

Not strictly, but a rug transforms the composition — it defines the majlis zone within a larger room, adds insulation and acoustic softness, and grounds the palette. Most customers layer their set on a 160×230 or 200×290 Turkish rug.

Can I use my Majlis outdoors on a covered verandah?

On a fully covered verandah in dry weather, yes — cotton covers handle a breeze and dappled light beautifully. What the set is not designed for is permanent outdoor exposure to rain, direct all-day sun, or humidity. Bring it in when the weather turns.

How many people does a U-shape actually seat?

Twelve adults comfortably, with room to move. For an Eid or family gathering with people rotating in and out of the room, sixteen is realistic before it feels crowded.

What is included in each set?

Each set arrives with matching seat cushions, backrest cushions, and side pillows in the palette you choose. Sponge fillings are pre-fitted inside the cotton covers; nothing needs to be assembled from raw parts. Full piece counts per configuration are listed on each product page.

How does it ship, and do you deliver upstairs?

Sets ship vacuum-packed in slimmer boxes than a traditional sofa, from our Smithfield (Sydney) warehouse. Standard Australia-wide couriers handle ground-floor drop; for upstairs or specific placement, message our team when you order — we can usually arrange white-glove delivery in the Sydney metro area, and quote for regional.

Can I mix and match different colour palettes?

Yes, and it's a beautiful look. Popular combinations: Navy Diamond seat cushions with Blue Palace backrests, or Red Palace seat cushions with Maroon Palace backrests for a layered warm-tone majlis. Contact us before ordering and we'll help configure the mix.

Is a Majlis appropriate for prayer or Ramadan and Eid gathering use?

Yes. The floor-seating format is culturally and functionally suited to prayer rooms and Ramadan/Eid hosting. Cotton covers are easy to keep fresh, the low-level posture suits gathering, and the U-shape in particular is designed for extended-family reception.

Where to start

If you are buying your first Arabian Majlis and want the safest starting configuration, the Rectangular Set in Navy Elegance or Brown is our most recommended first purchase — it seats six to eight, fits almost any Australian living-room wall, and at $349 leaves room to see how floor seating fits your household before you commit to an L or U shape.

Every majlis set ships from our Smithfield (Sydney) warehouse — same-day dispatch on orders before 4pm, free Australia-wide shipping over $150. Pair the set with a Turkish rug underneath and a Turkish mosaic floor lamp in the corner, and the majlis room is complete.

Shop all Arabian Majlis sets →

Any questions before you order? Our team in Sydney is a message away — we're a real showroom in Smithfield, not a drop-shipper, and we happily talk through room dimensions, palette choices and delivery logistics before you commit.