A 1990s Minimalist Conversion of a Former Sheep Barn Near Saint-Paul-de-Vence For Sale

Mar 30

The property extends to approximately 305 m² (3,282 ft²) across the main house and a series of smaller cabins, set within more than 2.5 hectares (~6.2 acres) of terraced, olive-filled gardens, with a long rectangular swimming pool, surrounded by stone walls.

A 1995 house conversion by French artist and interior designer Jacqueline Morabito has come to market near Saint-Paul-de-Vence on the French Riviera, listed with L'Exploreur, with pricing available upon application.

Set within an olive grove, the artist’s private retreat was developed within the stone walls of a former bergerie—a traditional rural sheepfold common in southern France—and reimagined as a minimalist residence. Morabito, a French artist and interior designer whose work is defined by sculptural, all-white interiors, works across design, art and interior scenography, creating tightly conceived environments in which furniture, architecture and light are treated as part of the same composition.

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Rather than restoring the former bergerie in the expected rustic style, with exposed stone, timber beams and terracotta, Morabito took a much more pared-back approach. The house is minimal, but not in the cold, austere way people often imagine. Instead, it offers a more Mediterranean kind of minimalism, shaped by white plaster, patios, olive trees, stone terraces and light.

From the outside, the house reads as a sharply reduced, white-rendered volume set among olive trees and stone terraces. Inside, the spaces are organised through patios, partial partitions, narrow steel doors and bespoke furnishings designed by Morabito herself. The result is a house that feels light, calm and surprisingly welcoming.

The property offers 305 m² (3,282 sq ft) across the main house and a series of smaller cabins, set within more than 2.5 hectares (around 6.2 acres) of terraced, olive-filled gardens, with a long rectangular swimming pool.

It’s located near Saint-Paul-de-Vence, a hilltop village set inland between Nice and Cannes, away from the Riviera’s coastal strip. Long associated with artists including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall—who lived and is buried there—the French village remains a notable centre for modern and contemporary art.

In this part of Provence, former agricultural buildings are often restored to highlight their rustic character. Morabito takes a different route here, reworking the bergerie as something cleaner and more contemporary, without losing its connection to the landscape.

All photos belong to the listing agency. See even more photos on L’Exploreur.