Document And Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
	Jul. 01, 2017	Jul. 21, 2017
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	STANLEY FURNITURE CO INC.
Entity Central Index Key	0000797465
Trading Symbol	stly
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Smaller Reporting Company
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding (in shares)		15,083,331
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jul. 01, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Amendment Flag	false