Preserve the Story of the Space First

Though renovating for future guests is the main storyline of season two, the Figs' design strategy has remained relatively unchanged throughout the chateau, even as they've taken on more and more rooms and spaces. “From the beginning, we've very much been trying to integrate whatever time period that space kind of belongs to, to make sure that that's integrated into what we're renovating towards—like the dungeon, keeping it medieval,” Daphne says.

In an upcoming episode, the Figs renovate the property's old dove towers while still applying their winning design strategy of preserving their history. “A dove tower would be where they would house birds—hundreds of birds—and depending on how many acres you had would be how many birds you were allowed to house,” Daphne explains. “We tried to keep some of those historical elements in the renovation.”

Guest Comfort Sometimes Has to Win

However, some modern luxuries must be prioritized to meet guests' comfort needs, even if they aren't the most historically accurate choices. “We opted for electricity every single time,” Daphne says.

Installing proper plumbing is also a theme this season, from renovating powder rooms to tackling the aforementioned dove towers, which are featured in Castle Impossible at the end of season two. “There was a lot just to make [the dove towers] habitable, both in dealing with the architects of France and getting approval, but then also bringing in plumbing, water, electricity—and it's also a totally spherical building,” Ian says. “We learned a lot from the dove towers.”

Evoking Emotions Through Design

At the end of the day, the design choices the Figs make are to delight the public as they celebrate important milestones like weddings and birthdays at the chateau. “I hope that everyone who shows up to the property falls in love with it in the way that we do,” Daphne says. “That's, like, my first hope of an emotion is just, ‘Oh, so happy to be here,' seeing the grandeur of the place.”

One picturesque moment in particular that really emphasizes the grandeur of the chateau is a personal favorite of Daphne's to recreate for guests, especially of the wedding party variety.

“There's something that I really love doing, which is when we go in from the front of the chateau, right before going to the back of the chateau, I'll do this, like, opening of both doors, and there's like this, because of the moat, there's like a little bit of wind that'll come and it just like, you feel it and you arrive and there's the flowers on the bridge, and you're walking across the bridge, and it just creates so much emotion,” Daphne describes. “When I see it happen in real life for our clients, it's a moment that's so emotional that it still brings tears to my eyes because it's such a big moment...you're married!”

Don't Overlook the Small Spaces

For the Figs, the overall grandeur of the chateau also lives in the details and smaller spaces on their to-do list—and means just as much to guests as their larger counterparts, however unexpected.

“In the third episode, we do powder rooms, and that was one that we were really excited about, but everybody that came through was like, really excited about it,” Ian says. (9:20) And we were like, ‘Oh, I mean, there's a grand staircase right there,' but ‘I really love the toilets.'”

Guests have already made the most of the new and improved powder rooms. “I did the bathrooms to feel special,” Daphne says. “What I didn't expect was seeing the first wedding, where the bride and groom were taking photos in the bathroom. It was actually so cute because there's a dividing wall with mirrors on both sides: the groom was fixing his tie, and the bride was putting on her lipstick. I thought, ‘That is a beautiful photo.' I definitely overlooked that when designing the space.”

Catch up on the Latest Renovations

Season 2 of Castle Impossible is officially underway, so tune in to HGTV on Tuesday nights at 9/8 Central to catch new episodes. In episode four, which airs tonight, Granny returns to check in on the progress of the gatehouse, the tatement chandelier, and so much more.