Oprah: So after the inauguration, what was your first weekend in the White House like?
Michelle Obama: Well, we still had family here, so it was almost like a wedding. A huge, very complicated wedding. The last visitors didn't leave until Sunday. And then the first Monday was kind of weird. You know: "Now we live here, and Barack is getting up and going to work, and it's just us. This is our home now."
Oprah: I had heart palpitations coming through the White House gate, recognizing that this really is now your home. It's the White House, and it's your home.
Michelle Obama: And it's a beautiful home. When you go out and come back, especially at night, with all the white lights on—it's just beautiful. We feel privileged, and we feel a responsibility to make it feel like the people's house. We have the good fortune of being able to sleep here, but this house belongs to America.
Oprah: How will the decorating style change?
Michelle Obama: It will reflect our family. I want comfortable sofas, I want art that reflects contemporary and traditional, I want to bring in new American artisans.
Oprah: You want more than just a few plates on the walls. You want pieces that are inclusive of American culture.
Michelle Obama: Right. And we want approachable comfort.
Oprah: So you can take off your shoes.
Michelle Obama: And you've got to be able to make a fort with the sofa pillows! Everything must be fort-worthy.
Oprah: And the kids know he's home when they hear his helicopter landing.
Michelle Obama: Once someone on my staff e-mailed to tell me that the president was on his way. But you could already hear the helicopter, so it was like, well, no kidding.
Oprah: "Dad's home!"
Michelle Obama: The girls don't move. I’m like, "You want to see Daddy landing in the helicopter?" "No, that’s okay. We already saw it."
Oprah: So what do you know for sure, Michelle Obama?
Michelle Obama: I know that all I can do is be the best me that I can. And live life with some gusto. Giving back is a big part of that. How am I going to share this experience with the American people? I’m always thinking about that.
Michelle Obama: Well, we still had family here, so it was almost like a wedding. A huge, very complicated wedding. The last visitors didn't leave until Sunday. And then the first Monday was kind of weird. You know: "Now we live here, and Barack is getting up and going to work, and it's just us. This is our home now."
Oprah: I had heart palpitations coming through the White House gate, recognizing that this really is now your home. It's the White House, and it's your home.
Michelle Obama: And it's a beautiful home. When you go out and come back, especially at night, with all the white lights on—it's just beautiful. We feel privileged, and we feel a responsibility to make it feel like the people's house. We have the good fortune of being able to sleep here, but this house belongs to America.
Oprah: How will the decorating style change?
Michelle Obama: It will reflect our family. I want comfortable sofas, I want art that reflects contemporary and traditional, I want to bring in new American artisans.
Oprah: You want more than just a few plates on the walls. You want pieces that are inclusive of American culture.
Michelle Obama: Right. And we want approachable comfort.
Oprah: So you can take off your shoes.
Michelle Obama: And you've got to be able to make a fort with the sofa pillows! Everything must be fort-worthy.
Oprah: And the kids know he's home when they hear his helicopter landing.
Michelle Obama: Once someone on my staff e-mailed to tell me that the president was on his way. But you could already hear the helicopter, so it was like, well, no kidding.
Oprah: "Dad's home!"
Michelle Obama: The girls don't move. I’m like, "You want to see Daddy landing in the helicopter?" "No, that’s okay. We already saw it."
Oprah: So what do you know for sure, Michelle Obama?
Michelle Obama: I know that all I can do is be the best me that I can. And live life with some gusto. Giving back is a big part of that. How am I going to share this experience with the American people? I’m always thinking about that.
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