Peter Miller, born 1946 in Hartford, took the BA from Williams College in 1968 and the MA from Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1970. After migrating to Seattle, he worked in construction and as a chef before opening his first bookstore, Miller & Mungo, in then-renascent Pioneer Square. He opened Peter Miller Books in 1982, and as the Pike Place Market area began to burgeon, moved the store to the First Avenue space adjacent to AIA Seattle. Peter Miller Books has operated in its current location since 1988.

Peter holds a unique position in the design community, a counselor to many on matters of "design conscience" as well as literary taste, and a thoughtful purveyor of cultural and critical observations as well as texts. More formally, he has served on the UW Department of Architecture Advisory Board since 1993; and in 1994 moderated the AIA Seattle Honor Awards jury. In 1998, he accepted Mayor Schell's appointment to the Seattle Design Commission, and has helped inform the selection of design teams for the City's current projects. AIA Seattle inducted Peter as an Honorary Member in 1993, in recognition of his commitments and achievements in the service of design.

Peter and Colleen Miller live in Seattle with their two children.