Weeks after “Castle Impossible” couple Daphne and Ian Figuera revealed they’re expecting their first child, the HGTV stars have acknowledged that juggling parenting with renovating their 500-year-old French chateau could be a bumpy ride.
The stresses of transforming the regal property they inherited from Daphne’s grandfather have already caused some strain in their marriage, the couple vulnerably told “Swooon” in an interview published on June 13, 2026. While they can’t wait to meet their little one, they acknowledged that his or her arrival could pose some new challenges.
‘Castle Impossible’ Couple Say Renovating Chateau Has ‘Tested’ Their Marriage
The Figueras — high school sweethearts who later reunited in California and got married — agreed to throw their plans out the door and restore the massive chateau that Daphne’s grandpa left to them upon his death. To make ends meet and pay for the expensive renovations, they rent out the finished spaces for weddings.
When Swooon asked whether their own marriage had been “challenged or strengthened” by their undertaking, Ian admitted, “It has been tested. That’s for sure.”
“I feel like it has definitely been a challenge,” Daphne agreed, “but it’s also been really fulfilling. I don’t know if our relationship would have been challenged in this way if we didn’t have such a big project at hand. We get through it every time, so that’s really reassuring.”
Ian then interjected, “I think it’s kind of like when forces unite against an enemy. When we have a problem with the chateau, that’s when Daphne and I remind each other we are on the same team. That we work through it. So far, it has been good.”
Ian & Daphne Figuera Will Have Family & Friends Help with Baby
Their next big challenge will be “juggling” a baby while moving forward with renovations, Ian told Swooon. The couple shared their baby news during a scene in the first episode of their second season, which first aired on June 2, as they sweetly informed Daphne’s grandmother and their master craftsman, Tony Raggett, that their “little chateau family is growing.”
“Obviously, I’m not going to be in the renovations as much,” Daphne told Swooon. “But I’ll do a lot of the prep work and the management of things.”
Ian then said, “We’re going to have to take turns and be navigating all this because the chateau is far from finished. There is still a lot of renovating to do. There is also the wedding venue business we’re actively running.”
They’ve planned a mini maternity leave for some quality time with their baby, though. Daphne explained, “We’ve made it so we’ll have a couple of weeks to really be with the baby. Then we have friends and family coming to visit to help support us.”
Ian said he may also carry the baby around during renovations, telling Swooon, “I’m planning to get one of those baby carriers,” and Daphne teased that he’ll be teaching their baby the names of each tool from the get-go.
One day, Ian noted, they’d love for their child to inherit the chateau and make it a true forever home or “eternal” home, as Daphne put it.
“It was (Daphne’s) grandfather’s and someday our child’s and maybe their child’s,” he said. “So, it does feel like forever. It has such a rich history. I feel like Daphne and I are in our little chapter in it, and then we get to pass it on.”
