Peter Shire was born in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles, where he lives and works. He studied ceramics at the Chouinard Institute in LA before opening his own studio in 1972. Inspired by the Bauhaus, Art Nouveau and Art Deco, Shire's work aims to bridge the gap between fine art and industrial design. With his early works he transformed the traditional teapot design into a sculptural construction of geometric shapes, edges and pastel enamels. His works attracted the attention of Ettore Sottsass who invited him to collaborate with Memphis, for which he designed two of the most iconic products: the Brazil table (1981) and the Bel Air armchair (1982).

In the 1980s, Shire began producing glass and metal furniture and objects. In the same years he worked in the design team of the American Institute of Architects for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and designed some public sculptures in Los Angeles and other cities in California.

His work can be found in several museum collections, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the MAD Museum of Arts and Design in New York, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. He has exhibited in numerous group and individual exhibitions in Milan, Paris, Tokyo and Sapporo.