Maybe a custom cabinetry shop would take on your project. Good luck!

Yes, this job is for a furniture or cabinet maker. But if this is a well made vintage piece, I would try to make it work as is. Or sell at a consignment shop and get a piece that works better in your space. Cutting it up will ruin the sides, the base and the top.

The individual pieces are likely firmly glued together first, then nailed/screwed together. It may not be possible to take this apart without breaking the wood. Maybe post an ad on Facebook Marketplace or Kijiji for a carpenter who specializes in custom cabinets or custom millwork, but those people will likely want larger jobs where they have control of the materials from the beginning.

If you are willing to use it at the 16" depth and not worry about making it 4" shallower, and keep the existing feet, you could probably get someone to paint it and change the hardware.

You might look at furniture refinishers to do this job. I'm thinking a carpenter or a cabinetmaker would think this is too small a project for them to take on. Everyone is really busy these days with big projects.

You are calling the wrong people. You need a fine craftsman, cabinet-maker, or a hobbyist working out of his/her garage. Try asking on Facebook Marketplace.

Humber College in Toronto offers a cabinetmaker course of study.

A real craftsman woodworker is well-trained and experienced and not inexpensive.

The amount of hours he/she would spend to re-make your piece is simply more than it is worth.

And really, it would still not look appropriate, as a TV/entertainment stand looks best when the TV width is 2/3 to 3/4 of the width of the furniture piece on which it stands.

(I am not speaking of the diagonal measurement of television which is the advertised measurement of the television given by the manufacturer.)

Yes, solid wood furniture is difficult to come by, and it is understandable that you don't want to discard it, but this is just not the appropriate use for it.

There are a myriad of entertainment/TV stands available for sale that would suit.

If you only want one in solid wood, you can search donation centers and secondhand stores for credenzas, buffets, and sideboards that will serve your purpose.

Once you find one of these well-made all wood vintage pieces, any re-finishing or repairs can be done by a quality woodworker. In addition, shelves can be repositioned, removed, added.

You can remove the back, or have a half back to allow for wiring, or have holes with grommets in the back or the bottom. You can have stained caning put in place of solid doors.

I am not an electrician or a cyber-specialist.

I would go to a shop that sells top-end entertainment/media pieces and poke around their innards and outers and make yourself some measured drawings, or if you can, take some discreet photos with your phone, and peruse the item descriptions which should be detailed and available online.

It may be that the very best are only available "to the trade," that is, through a decorator, but you may be able to find them second-hand through a consignment shop.

You might be able to get names of the manufacturers from luxe interior design magazines.

Then you can have your talented craftsman adapt your vintage piece to have the features you want.

I would however, suggest having your chosen woodworker vet your piece through copious photos/videos and measurements before you plunk down your hard-earned money on a piece that cannot be modified to your desires and today's technological specifications and desires.

Good Luck!

Most cabinet makers will probably charge you more to alter than to build new. Rather than pay someone 5K to destroy that, pay someone 4K to build you something custom to the exact specifications needed.

If all that is needed on a vintage buffet is moving a shelf, or adding a shelf and drilling a couple of holes and putting on grommets, that plus the cost of the vintage piece which can be purchased for a couple hundred $ is way less $4000.

The cost of the wood to build new is not inconsiderable either, especially if you want quality aged hardwoods.

The reason the carpenters are saying no is that they all have an hourly price and the cost to change the cabinet is more than the cabinet is worth. Are you looking to pay $400 to remodel the cabinet because for that money you could purchase something new that meets your requirements?

The TV should be positioned at the center of your eye level when sitting.

You are limited to a small TV on the revised cabinet. If you actually plan to use the TV that is this small there are nightstands that would likely meet your requirements.

Here are alternate white cabinets that are all sold by Target for low prices.

Do you have a NextDoor app or something similar in Toronto? If so, go on there and ask for help. I know one retired person who does cabinetry in his garage and one IT guy who does it on the side to relax. It's amazing what people do in their side gigs.

BTW, what is the size of you tv? do you want to wall mount it or hang it over this? And why does this need to be only 12" ? Where is it going?

12" depth is very shallow. if your tv is a 20" screen, maybe it could work, but anything larger? nope.

to me, this is too small for a tv unit.

you'd be better off going w/something a bit longer. The depth shouldn't make a difference.

what if you bought something like this? it's about the same size you want.

Or, the white ones beverly posted would work out fine. (And so much cheaper than getting someone to take apart your nightstand)

I build custom furniture as a hobby and agree with others saying buy or build what you need. To my eye material and construction in the piece is unremarkable.

Everyone is afraid that they can't charge you enough. I pity those fools.

Thank you to everyone to weighed in. I really appreciate the feedback. To answer a few people's questions, I liked this nightstand because it has the shutter doors with storage, a pull-out drawer that I could remove and insert my cable box, and the width (26") and height (27") of the piece is perfect for my 32" TV. The TV sits in a corner in the living room with sofas around it.

Perhaps I am trying to solve this 'design dilemma' in the wrong way. Perhaps there is an entirely different solution that hasn't occurred to me.

All I know is that I don't have the space for anything wider, and most TV stands on the market are a lot wider than 26". When I do find something somewhat doable, it's pretty ugly and doesn't suit my decor.

None of the small console examples in one of the posts above would work either because they don't have a slot for the cable box.

Here's a picture of the corner I am talking about. My house is a disaster right now so please forgive the mess. (Also, don't mind the 2 TVs on the stand. I am selling the small one and replacing the big one with a sleeker 32" model).

Thanks!

I lightened up the picture so we can see it better.

Reducing the depth of the stand to 12" from 16" will make very little difference to how this looks or functions. So since you like it, just leave it as it is structurally.

Your cable box does not need to be right by your TV, which will give you more options if you want something different. There are 2 options. You can either get a wireless cable box that can go anywhere and send the signal to the TV. Or buy a device that sends the signal from your existing cable box to your TV. For example. Best Buy has stuff like this if you want to buy it in person.

After reading your latest response then re-reading your origional post I've decided to try and help you adapt the piece. I don't know the name of anyone in your neighborhood so assuming you brought it to me,here's how I would handle it. Maybe you can talk a neighbor or friend into doing it. A pro can't take a chance on potential customers hearing about him doing a hack such as this. Remove doors,drawer and hardware. Install a used or demolition blade on table saw in case I hit a nail. Set rip fence to 12" plus the greater of top overhang at front or trim on bottom front. Rip 2 1x shims to match amount that was added to 12". Fasten shims on each side between top and bottom trim. Make sure fasteners are where hinges will cover holes when reassembled. IF THERE IS A DUST APRON BETWEEN DRAWER AND LOWER COMPARTMENT, unless it can serve as shelf, remove it before making cuts. Rip each side and if neccessary the bottom then top. Router a rabbet in rear to recieve rear cover. Reuse old back cover or cut a new cover and install. Remove lower trim-legs and replace with desired legs. If dust cover isn't suitable for shelf,cut and install shelf. Once you choose paint color,brand,type and gloss, CARFULLY read label for reccomended prep and primer then follow directions. Choose and install hardware to cover old holes. Questions?

Some of the carpenters may just not want to tear up a vintage piece. I don’t know their thinking, of course.

Since you are painting it anyway, why not just get a piece that is already painted - for starters.

I don’t know if this is still available, but I think the shop is in your area. A set of two. Maybe you could use the other one in the bedroom, or sell it or gift it.

https://www.achangingnest.com/sale

@klem1 Ha! Thank you... now I understand why the project is more than any carpenter wants to take on. Who knew it would be so complicated? I certainly didnt'! You have all convinced that this is a bad idea. I think I am going to try @partim 's idea regarding the device. I didnt even know such things existed. This would work very well. Thank you!

I believe I've been snookered,,,,,,,,,again. No amount of pleading by several people nor thousands of dollars in expense could deter Nancy but after what I consider simple solution (I even called it a hack) she cut's to run saying it's overly complicated. Appearantly some folks believe internet forums can sprinkle pixie dust on their projects.

Not sure what snookered means in this context ("to trick, entice or trap"), but when you explained to Nancy what was involved she sensibly agreed that this was more complicated than she had initially understood. "Don't do it" wasn't quite persuasive enough!

The OP's request reminds me of my niece's ongoing projects to alter her vintage clothing. She's now learned to give me a phone call before she purchases, so I can tell her whether her desired alteration is do-able by us. Yes to simple alterations, no to "Can the shoulders be made smaller?" Learning why is part of her "apprenticeship".

I appreciate your graciousness, partim.