High School Sweethearts Renovate a 500-Year-Old Castle in HGTV’s Newest Show

Published: April 8, 2025

D9982207-E41E-4232-9A5B-439D2BAFBB93_1_201_a — Photo by Baptiste Pilot on Unsplash

By Gavin Boyle

HGTV is documenting a massive undertaking by high school sweethearts Daphne Reckert and Ian Figueira as they work to restore a 130-acre estate just outside of Paris, France, that the couple recently inherited.

“Our lives changed forever when I inherited my grandfather’s 500-year-old chateau in France,” Reckert said. “If we don’t keep up the renovations, the chateau will become a ruin.”

The property has a storied history throughout its 500 years, boasting a former guest list that includes King Louis XIII. While much of the property is in disarray, the main floor of the castle is in good shape as it is used for weddings and other events. Reckert and Figueira are on a mission to save the rest of the chateau, leveraging their backgrounds in carpentry, construction and landscaping to do so.

“Daphne and Ian’s lives change forever when she unexpectedly inherits a 500-year-old castle in France from her grandfather. Desperate to continue her grandfather’s legacy, the young couple must save the decaying relic from ruin or face losing it forever,” a description of the HGTV show reads.

Some of the buildings that require an update include a medieval dungeon, a hunter’s lodge, a farmhouse, 28 horse stables, along with a large forest housing two lakes. The couple has been working on the property since 2022, documenting their work on YouTube. Along the way, they have uncovered the properties secrets and revealed original designs that have since been nearly lost to time.

In November 2022, for example, they uncovered the castle’s original garden design which spanned a massive part of the property. They have since made changes to restore it, growing it from the small patch that it currently inhabits.

“In our latest YouTube video, we uncovered the large garden boundaries which show the beautiful design that has been hiding underneath the soil for so many years,” the couple wrote on their Instagram. “The illustration on the right is from the 1600s, soon after Leonara Dori owned the chateau and you can see the property looks very elaborate. She and the Count Concini added a lot to the domain with an Italian influence. The chateau once expanded to all four corners of the fortress base, whereas now it only covers the back half. You can see the Orangerie on the right side of the illustration, which has gone through many changes as well.”