<PAGE>
                                                                    Exhibit 24.1

                                  POWER OF ATTORNEY


     KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each of the undersigned directors 
and officers of SHELBY WILLIAMS INDUSTRIES, INC., a Delaware corporation (the 
"Company"), does hereby constitute and appoint Paul N. Steinfeld, Manfred 
Steinfeld, Robert P. Coulter and Walter Roth, and each of them severally, the 
true and lawful attorneys and agents of the undersigned, each with full power 
to act without any other and with full power of substitution and 
resubstitution, to do any and all acts and things and to execute any and all 
instruments which said attorneys and agents may deem necessary or desirable 
to enable the Company to comply with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as 
amended (the "Act"), and any rules, regulations and requirements of the 
Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder in connection with the filing 
under the Act of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year 
ended December 31, 1997 and all related matters, including specifically, but 
without limiting the generality of the foregoing, power and authority to sign 
the names of the undersigned directors and officers in the capacities 
indicated below to said Form 10-K to be filed with the Securities and 
Exchange Commission, to any and all amendments to said Form 10-K, and to any 
and all instruments or documents filed as part of or in connection with any 
of the foregoing and any and all amendments thereto; and each of the 
undersigned hereby ratifies and confirms all that said attorneys and agents, 
or any of them, shall do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the undersigned has subscribed these presents
this 24th day of March, 1998.

     Capacities                                        Signatures
     ----------                                        ----------
Chairman of the Board
and Director (Principal
Executive Officer)                                 s/ Paul N. Steinfeld
                                                --------------------------
                                                    Paul N. Steinfeld 


Chairman of the Executive
Committee and Director                              s/ Manfred Steinfeld
                                                --------------------------
                                                     Manfred Steinfeld



President and Director                              s/ Robert P. Coulter 
                                                --------------------------
                                                     Robert P. Coulter


<PAGE>

Vice-President Finance,
Treasurer and Assistant
Secretary (Principal
Financial and Accounting
Officer)                                              s/ Sam Ferrell
                                                --------------------------
                                                        Sam Ferrell


Director                                            s/ Robert L. Haag
                                                --------------------------
                                                     Robert L. Haag


Director                                           s/ William B. Kaplan
                                                --------------------------
                                                     William B. Kaplan


Director                                           s/ Douglas A. Parker 
                                                --------------------------
                                                     Douglas A. Parker


Director                                           s/ Herbert L. Roth
                                                --------------------------
                                                     Herbert L. Roth


Director                                            s/ Trisha Wilson 
                                                --------------------------
                                                      Trisha Wilson



















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