2026 Is the New 2016 — And the Barber Chair Never Moved

In early 2026, the internet hit rewind, and the year of 2016 suddenly feels alive again. Across all social media platforms, millions are posting pictures, filters and videos under captions like “2026 is the new 2016”. The phrase isn’t just nostalgia—it’s recognition.

The same tensions, the same debates, the same search for stability in a world that feels permanently off-balance. The names have changed. The tools have upgraded. The posture is identical.

Which brings us, inevitably, to the barber chair.

Barber chairs are one of the few objects in modern life that resist trend cycles. Their design adapts over time, but the mechanics stay heavy, deliberate, and familiar refusing the pressure to reinvent what already works. For instance, the Berkeley Franklin Barber chair perfectly blends nostalgia while maintaining durable and heavy-duty construction supporting a whopping 575lbs.

In a culture obsessed with disruption, the barber chair represents continuity. You trust the process. The chair doesn’t rush you—and it doesn’t pretend the world outside isn’t chaotic.

Interested in a solid chair with minimal change in both design and looks than look no further than our Berkeley Lincoln II Barber Chair. Everyone knows as soon as they see this chair, that is a classic, timeless and heavy duty, recognized in barber shops around the world for 20 years old.

Same seat. Same swivel. Different decade.

In 2016, people sat in barber chairs scrolling headlines that felt world-shifting. In 2026, they’re doing the same—just faster, louder, and with more screens involved. Same seat. Same swivel. Different decade. Same chair. The desire now isn’t endless novelty—it’s something solid enough to hold still. Which is what Berkeley brand have been doing for over 20 years.

That’s why the barber chair keeps making sense, and there’s a reason Berkeley names chairs after presidents – the Wilson, the McKinley, the Truman and our bestseller the Adams -, not just because is glamourous, but because it’s heavy. Presidents inherit systems they didn’t design, sit in positions shaped long before them, and are judged for outcomes they can’t fully control. Sound familiar?

A barber chair works the same way. Each person who sits down brings their own expectations, anxieties, and history—but the chair remains. It absorbs all of it without changing its job.

What “the new 2016” can actually mean

If 2026 really is the new 2016, that doesn’t have to mean we’re stuck. It can mean we’ve learned what holds up. Some designs don’t need to chase the moment—they’re built to outlast it. The Berkeley barber chair never moved, and in a world that keeps spinning, that kind of steadiness still matters.