Exhibit 31.1

I, Jeffrey R. Scheffer, certify that:

1.   I have  reviewed  this  annual  report  on Form 10-K of  Stanley  Furniture
     Company, Inc.;

2.   Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of
     a material  fact or omit to state a  material  fact  necessary  to make the
     statements made, in light of the circumstances  under which such statements
     were made,  not  misleading  with  respect  to the  period  covered by this
     report;

3.   Based on my  knowledge,  the  financial  statements,  and  other  financial
     information  included  in  this  report,  fairly  present  in all  material
     respects the financial  condition,  results of operations and cash flows of
     the registrant as of, and for, the periods in this report.

4.   The  registrant's  other  certifying  officer  and  I are  responsible  for
     establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined
     in Exchange Act Rules  13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e))  and internal  control over
     financial  reporting  (as  defined  in  Exchange  Act Rules  13a-15(f)  and
     15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

          (a)  Designed such disclosure controls and procedures,  or caused such
               disclosure  controls  and  procedures  to be  designed  under our
               supervision,  to ensure that material information relating to the
               registrant,  including  its  consolidated  subsidiaries,  is made
               known to us by others within those entities,  particularly during
               the period in which this report is being  prepared;

          (b)  Designed  such  internal  control over  financial  reporting,  or
               caused such  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  to be
               designed under our supervision,  to provide reasonable  assurance
               regarding  the   reliability  of  financial   reporting  and  the
               preparation  of financial  statements  for  external  purposes in
               accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

          (c)  Evaluated  the  effectiveness  of  the  registrant's   disclosure
               controls  and   procedures  and  presented  in  this  report  our
               conclusions  about the  effectiveness of the disclosure  controls
               and  procedures,  as of the  end of the  period  covered  by this
               report based on such evaluation; and

          (d)  Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's  internal
               control  over  financial   reporting  that  occurred  during  the
               registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's  fourth
               fiscal  quarter  in  the  case  of an  annual  report)  that  has
               materially  affected,  or  is  reasonably  likely  to  materially
               affect,   the   registrant's   internal  control  over  financial
               reporting; and

5.   The registrant's  other certifying  officer and I have disclosed,  based on
     our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to
     the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board
     of directors (or persons performing the equivalent function):

          (a)  All  significant  deficiencies  and  material  weaknesses  in the
               design or operation of internal control over financial  reporting
               which are reasonably  likely to adversely affect the registrant's
               ability  to  record,  process,  summarize  and  report  financial
               information;  and

          (b)  Any fraud,  whether or not material,  that involves management or
               other employees who have a significant  role in the  registrant's
               internal control over financial reporting.

Date: February 7, 2005                               /s/Jeffrey R. Scheffer
                                                     ----------------------
                                                     Jeffrey R. Scheffer
                                                     Chief Executive Officer