Fly by the seat of my pants

Lately Mark and I have been talking about how we need a chair of sorts in our bedroom. It can't be very big, as we're tight on space. The thought is we will slide the dresser a little to the right and place a small chair in the corner to the left of it.

I'm thinking a golden yellow velvet will add a nice punch of color and look good with the green theme we've already got going. I love the look of the antique french circle back chairs like the one below (in a different finish and fabric though), but Mark thinks they're a little too feminine.
In the Domino book, we found a rectangular back upholstered chair that had nailhead detail on the edges that we both love. It looks similar to these.

To find the chair we want with the right fabric would most likely send us to a custom furniture maker and put us out way more money than I'm willing to spend. So this will most likely be taken on as a DIY project.

I can already hear Mark saying, "do you know how to reupholster?!" That's a negative. No clue. But how hard could it be? It's definitely not a complex piece, especially with the rectangular back. Anyone have any good tips or tricks?

As soon as things mellow out a little, I will begin my thrift shop search for and old chair frame.

(photos courtesy of The French Chair)