The couple met during the Second World War, when they were both working for the BBC. After the war, they worked together for the London furniture store Heal's, where they developed their modern, functional design style.
In 1950, they designed their famous "Stag" chair, which won a Design Centre Award the same year. They also worked on projects such as kitchens, bookcases and furniture for schools. Their work has been widely exhibited and is now considered emblematic of British design in the 1950s and 1960s.
John Reid died in 1988, followed by Sylvia Reid in 2011.