How SF's Peter Williams became a DIY star by accident
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Photo: Courtesy of Peter Williams
A friend once introduced Peter Williams as the "Greek god who makes gingerbread houses" on social media. The influencer, known for his "Grecian ideal" physique and creative DIY projects, tells Axios that that about "sums it up."
The big picture: This is "Made in the Bay," our series spotlighting content creators with ties to the Bay Area.
Zoom in: Williams grew up in Los Gatos, near the "original Netflix HQ back when they sent DVDs in the mail," he said.
- After moving to San Francisco in 2017 (he met his boyfriend at Dolores Park seven years ago), he began working as an interior designer by day and fine arts model by night, training his body and styling his hair to match classical statues.
Fun fact: Williams makes an extravagant gingerbread house every year for charity and enjoys drawing inspiration from ones he saw in the Westin St. Francis and Fairmont Hotel as a child.
The following answers have been lightly edited.
How did you get into content creation?
It was mostly by accident! … I try to share the creative side projects I'm working on (usually some kind of modeling work, outfit I'm sewing, or some DIY home furnishing or improvement), and one day a friend sent me a trending audio from TikTok and told me I should make my own version.… It went extremely viral.
When did you realize you were starting to blow up?
Before I went viral, I really struggled with knowing what to do.… [Afterward], I was out in NYC at a party and strangers recognized me from my statuesque hair and told me how much they loved my content.… That's when I realized … I should just keep doing whatever inspires me and keeps that creative fire alive.
What's your favorite piece of content you've created?
A cabinet I made for my kitchen, inspired by a $28k cabinet I saw at a luxury furniture showroom in SF, although my DIY attempt was way more tedious than anyone should really try to attempt in their right mind.
What's one part of the process people might not realize takes a lot of time and effort?
For years I resisted recording my own voice just because I didn't like how it sounded (is it too high? is that too weird? is it too gay?, etc.), but I'm so glad I developed the confidence to just embrace [it].
How has living in the Bay Area impacted you?
It has been challenging as a young creative who is not in tech … but then again I have very deep roots here, and I think I'll always be an ambitious Bay Area boy who is very open-minded and willing to break norms.
What's your ultimate go-to meal here?
You can't go wrong with a classic spot like Zuni Cafe and their shoestring potatoes paired with some delicious Hog Island Oysters from Tomales Bay!