Dagmar Dialogues with acclaimed interior architect Alyssa Kapito

Welcome to Dagmar Dialogues, an editorial series where we explore the intersections of fashion, art, and architecture. Here, we celebrate the visionaries — our friends, collaborators, and those whose creativity continues to inspire us.

House of Dagmar unveils a new flagship store at Biblioteksgatan 12, designed in collaboration with acclaimed New York–based interior architect Alyssa Kapito.

Recognized as one of New York’s most distinguished voices in interior architecture, Kapito has become synonymous with refined, bespoke spaces that merge timeless elegance with modern sensibility. Since establishing her design studio in 2012, she has curated exhibitions for Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips, and today also directs Galerie Alyssa Kapito, a gallery dedicated to French and Italian mid-century, Scandinavian, and contemporary design.

When designing Dagmar’s flagship store, how did you translate the brand’s values into the space while still expressing your own creative signature?

"The Dagmar woman is chic and well-traveled, sophisticated but cool. The brand also places a great importance on sustainability. I wanted to create a store that expressed both the aesthetic of the brand and also its values. The use of almost entirely antiques, collected internationally was something that was important to both myself and Sofia. It’s both environmentally conscious as well as exceptionally refined."

Where do you see the worlds of interior design and fashion intersect most clearly?

"I think design has never been more important to fashion than today. Design has become such a point of inspiration for so many brands and store design allows the customer to have the full immersive experience of a brands outlook and style."

In both interiors and fashion, what are the principles you refuse to compromise on?

"Quality and the right values"

How do you navigate the balance between timelessness and modernity in your work?

"For me timelessness and modernity is a constant tension that I love to explore with my work. I think going too far in either direction feels rather predictable to me. There’s an invisible line when it feels just right that’s hard to verbalize, but if it had to, I would say that I tend to veer more heavily on the timelessness with a few very powerful moments of modernity that cut the familiarity."

How would you define elegance today?

"Refinement, grace and kindness"

Which city best captures the essence of your aesthetic?

"Paris"

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Is there a material or texture you find yourself continually drawn to, and what does it bring to your work?

"Materials with patina. Metals, leathers, and plaster."

What do you look for in a work of art that makes it exceptional?

"This is very hard to describe but something so visually powerful that it alters the feeling you get in a space, no matter how big or small the work is. If you were to take it out and the space still felt the same you missed the point."

How do you approach sustainability within fashion, interiors, and the arts?

"Working with antiques is wonderfully sustainable. Being a collector is both deeply gratifying from a creative standpoint as well as from an environmentally conscious frame of mind."

In what ways does your personality come through most clearly in your creative projects?

"Honestly it’s in everything I do. I love when I have a client who is super collaborative like Sofia. Then the client can actually alter your mindset as a designer and you can create something new and exciting. "

What is the last interior piece you invested in?

"I finally just purchase a Louis Sognot rattan chair that I have been looking for for about 7 years. "

Has there been a book that recently shifted your perspective or deeply resonated with you?

"How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It was written in the 1930s and is still just as relevant today as it was then. People are pretty much the same. "