Michelle Obama Oprah Magazine April 2009

First Lady Michelle Obama joins Oprah Winfrey on the cover of the April issue of Oprah magazine.

This marks the first time Winfrey has invited somebody to appear alongside her instead of appearing alone.

Obama rocks a Michael Kors dress and Dear Cashmere cardigan, while Winfrey wears a dress by Rachel Roy New York.

In Michelle’s first interview inside the White House she chats with Oprah about all kinds of things from decorating to keeping in touch with friends.

Below are some highlights:

On her decorating philosophy:

“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, and you’ve got to be able to make a fort with the sofa pillows! Everything must be fort-worthy.”

On her White House vision:

“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”

On what she ‘knows for sure’ in life:

“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.”

On keeping in touch with friends:

“That’s the thing about being the First Lady: You try to catch your friends up on what’s happening in your life, and they’re like, ‘We know – we read it in the paper.”

On how Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10, know dad’s home:

“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.”

“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.’”

The magazine hits stands March 17.