Harley Anstee FDIA has been an interior design practitioner since 1963 and has worked at Nexus Designs since 1975. He has been instrumental in establishing the fundamental principles of Nexus Designs and advancing the overall Australian design vernacular. With a design approach predicated on timelessness and a passion for celebrating the beauty of our natural environment, Harley also has an expert knowledge of Australian and international furniture design and contemporary Australian art.

Over five decades, Harley has drawn inspiration from Australia’s natural beauty in determining the colour palettes and finishes for Australian building products, including BlueScope’s COLORBOND® steel. Harley’s original and intelligent problem-solving and deep understanding of the Australian landscape has also allowed him to lead the Product Development team at Nexus Designs to define product ranges for brands such as Boral, Laminex, Dulux, Armstrong Nylex, Telecom, Black & Decker, Sorbent, Sheridan, Kenbrock Flooring, PGH Bricks and BlueScope Steel as industry leaders in their fields. His comprehensive research and colour advice has assisted companies to develop new products and ranges that deliver product differentiation, competitive advantage and improve market share for companies that also include Johnson Tiles, Haymes Paint, Armstrong Flooring and Viridian Glass.

A highlight of Harley’s interior design career was assisting the Nexus team in developing the original Country Road concept store and setting the design standards for all Country Road stores throughout Australia and New Zealand for almost a decade. Another pivotal project came in 1983 when Nexus Designs was appointed by Philip Cox Richardson and Taylor, Architects as interior designers to the Yulara Tourist Resort at Uluru. Nexus Designs also acted as design consultants for the refurbishment of Government House, Canberra and the refurbishment of Admiralty House, Sydney, and Harley has designed for innumerable residential clients, including the owners of a Tribeca Loft in New York, for which Nexus’ work won the International Design and Residential categories at the Australian Interior Design Awards in 2013.

A DIA member since 1992, Harley has been actively involved throughout his career, including working to improve the recognition of the interior design profession and elevating its professional standards. He has also been instrumental in mentoring many of today’s successful interior design practitioners. 

His contribution has been acknowledged with a DIA fellowship in 2007, an InDesign Luminaries Award in 2014 and through Nexus Designs’ significant interior design awards on the national and international stage. Throughout his career, Harley has co-authored books on Interior Design including The Making of a House, Living and most notably Using Australian Colour, a renowned reference book for practitioners of design that has been published in three editions.