Most office furniture on film is built to look serious. M’s chair is built to get out of the way. In Skyfall, Judi Dench’s M works from an Interstuhl AirPad 3C42, a German task chair whose transparent membrane back lets the room show through it. In our view it is the most sensible piece of set dressing in Daniel Craig’s Bond films, because it is a task chair made for a full working day.
In the film
M sits on the AirPad 3C42 at her desk in her MI6 office in Skyfall (2012). It is a working chair for a working office, which is rather the point of M. Interstuhl still lists the 3C42 in its AirPad range, so this is the model itself and not a lookalike. For the wider run of films, see our guide to Craig’s Bond.
The details of the Interstuhl AirPad 3C42
A membrane, not a mesh. The backrest is an elastic, transparent polyamide membrane held in a frame with fine cross braces. It gives slightly as you sit, supports the lower back, and lets air through, so the chair does not trap heat. Visually it is very light.
The Body-Float mechanism. Sit down and the seat lowers a little and glides back without lifting its front edge, while the lower backrest moves in towards the spine. The aim is a balanced position reached without fiddling. Weight adjustment is infinitely variable, so it can be set to you rather than to an average.
Adjustment where it counts. Back height, seat depth, seat inclination and lumbar support all adjust, and the arms move in width, height and depth and rotate. The seat height range is 590–645mm, which is worth checking against your desk.
Made to last, and guaranteed. The chair is made in Germany. Interstuhl gives a 10-year warranty on its products and on every spare part, gas springs and mechanisms included. For something you sit on daily, that is the number worth reading.
Designed by B4K. The AirPad collection is the work of Andreas Krob and Joachim Brüske. By Interstuhl’s account, its defining quality is lightness, in design and in use.
A choice of finishes. The membrane comes in black or white. The seat can be covered in fabric or leather from Interstuhl’s collections, and Office Chairs UK lists eleven fabric colours.
Using it now
This is a chair for the man who works from home and does not want the room to look like an office. The transparent back lets a bookcase or a window show through, which is why it sits more easily in a study than most task chairs. We would choose the black membrane with a black or grey seat: it reads as a shadow, and it will not date.
Choose the castors for your floor. Retailers sell the chair with castors for carpet or for hard floors. Pick correctly and it rolls quietly and stays put; pick wrongly and it either skates or drags.
Try it first if you can. A mechanism that adjusts to body weight is a personal thing. Interstuhl has a dealer search on its site, and it is worth sitting in one before ordering. Office Chairs UK sells the 3C42 made to order, with a lead time of roughly four to six weeks.
Where it sits. A pale oak desk, a wall of books, a good lamp. Keep everything else on the desk restrained and let the chair be the lightest object in the room.
Specifications
| Model | Interstuhl AirPad 3C42, swivel chair with Body-Float synchro mechanism and weight adjustment, membrane backrest |
|---|---|
| Backrest | Transparent polyamide membrane in a frame; black or white |
| Mechanism | Body-Float synchronous mechanism, infinitely variable weight adjustment |
| Adjustment | Back height, seat depth, seat inclination, lumbar support |
| Arms | 4D arms: width, height, depth and rotation |
| Seat height range | 590–645mm |
| Seat pad | 480mm wide, 410–460mm deep |
| Seat cover | Choice of fabric and leather collections |
| Castors | For carpet or for hard floors |
| Made in | Germany |
| Warranty | 10 years |
| Price | Set by the retailer and varies with seat cover; see the retailer’s page |
Full technical details and downloads are on Interstuhl’s own page for the AirPad 3C42.
Questions
Is this the chair M uses in Skyfall?
Yes. M sits on an Interstuhl AirPad 3C42 in her MI6 office in Skyfall, and the 3C42 is still part of Interstuhl’s AirPad range.
How does the Body-Float mechanism work?
When you sit, the seat lowers slightly and glides backwards without raising its front edge, while the lower backrest moves closer to your back. Weight adjustment sets the resistance to suit you.
What is the difference between the 3C42 and the 3C72?
The 3C72 has a headrest and the 3C42 does not. Both are swivel armchairs in Interstuhl’s AirPad range, and M’s chair is the 3C42.
Where can I buy the Interstuhl AirPad 3C42?
Interstuhl sells through dealers, and Office Chairs UK lists it made to order, typically in four to six weeks. Options include seat colour and castors for carpet or hard floors.
More from the film is in our Skyfall guide, and more for the study in Home & Interiors.
