For California expat, $670K O4W flip was ‘yearlong labor of love and aggravation’

In a past life, Nikko Lindley was a California real estate appraiser for 20 years.

A year and a half ago, she heeded the advice of a close real estate agent friend in Atlanta, headed east, and set up her one-woman shop, Linden Investments, to start embarking on home remodels.

At first sight, Lindley fell for the details of an ailing, circa-1920 bungalow in Old Fourth Ward—the expansive porch, French doors, scruffy hardwoods, high ceilings, and divided-light windows—but the property would present surprises (happy and not) she hadn’t bargained for.

The resulting remodel, listed this past weekend for $669,000, is the product of “a yearlong labor of love and aggravation over every single detail,” as Lindley puts it, and it offers some fresh design ideas beyond what’s become standard in Atlanta.

“This is my most ambitious project and most stressful, as I had quite a number of issues with contractors and delays,” Lindley said in emails this week. “I agonized over every single detail, probably more than I should have, but I think the results were worth it.”

The bungalow stands a block west of Boulevard near Central Park, which means about four blocks from Ponce City Market. Beyond the functional, brick L of a porch (with its billowing curtains), the home serves up three bedrooms and two bathrooms among 1,648 square feet—not exactly tight, but not huge by Atlanta standards.

Moving past the living room’s reclaimed-wood fireplace mantle and a rustic chandelier Lindley designed for the dining space, the kitchen is contemporary with a layout dictated by the old.

“When we took down the plaster in the kitchen, I was delighted to find the original chimney chase with a coal chute,” said Lindley. “The wine and bar area was specifically designed around keeping this feature.”

Elsewhere, she said, “I made the tough decision to replace almost all of the windows due to energy efficiency but kept the original style. I purposely left the interior color scheme as white and black knowing that the next owner would be able to add wonderful pops of color with artwork and furniture elements.”

Most of the original doors were in good enough shape to keep, and the sliding master bathroom door was salvaged from elsewhere in the house.

“The panes can be frosted for privacy, should an owner wish,” said Lindley, “but I kept [the door] clear as the view into the bathroom is just so lovely.”

When it comes to outdoor options, the expansive front porch works in concert with a fire pit area at the property’s back edge, under the shade of mature trees. Like the driveway parking, it’s bordered by sleek, horizontal, black-painted fencing.

Lindley had the home staged by Design2Sell, and the vanities, reclaimed wood wall, barn doors, and kitchen shelves are the work of Gatsby Timber.

“While I wanted something contemporary and open, I wanted to ensure the architectural integrity of the home remained intact,” she said. “Every design detail was thoughtfully considered and agonized over, and I hope it shows.”

• 563 Parkway Drive NE [site]
• 563 Parkway Drive NE [PalmerHouse Properties]