Your home may be looking festive now, but when the tinsel comes down, neutral interiors can acquire a Dickensian gloom: less Osborne & Little, more the debtors’ prison in Little Dorrit. Something about our watery winter light makes whole rooms succumb to the interiors equivalent of seasonal affective disorder. A dose of colourful textiles, however, will soon bring back the sunshine. Cushions, woolly blankets, chenille throws, felt rugs and woven-silk wall hangings are the mood-enhancing route to a swift and inexpensive transformation from Bleak House to cosy chic.

My favourite accessories this winter combine knitted toastiness with a shot of colour. The Conran Shop has brought out a cable-knit blanket, inspired by Aran sweaters, in saffron yellow (135cm by 180cm, £132; 0844 848 4000, www.conranshop.co.uk). Laura Ashley’s Con-iston is a similar summer-sky-blue throw (135cm by 195cm, £69; 0871 983 5999, www.lauraashley.com).

If throws based on the aesthetics of woolly pullovers are too homespun for your taste, you might prefer some of the couture-conscious homewares offered by luxury clothing brands. Nicole Farhi Home stocks cushions from £45 and throws from £250, including a cowhair cushion in a gloriously rich pumpkin colour (50cm by 50cm, £191; 020 7494 9051, www.nicolefarhi.com). Glamour is provided by Ghost, with new additions to the range including a cushion (£24) and a “sham” (£32) in rich midnight blue feather velvet (both available at House of Fraser; 0845 602 1073, www.houseoffraser.co.uk).

For similarly opulent textures, try Zara. Its bright-blue Mongolian cushion has an extravagantly furry sheepskin cover (also available in russet, stone and black; 50cm by 50cm, £54), while a square silk cushion – a real bargain – comes in shocking pink (50cm by 50cm, £12; www.zarahome.com ).

The most shocking thing about pink silk, of course, is its sensitivity to stains. If yours is a household of spillages and dirt, in which drinks are jogged, pens dropped and shoes routinely rested on furniture, I can’t recommend darkish, longish fake fur highly enough. It endures all such mistreatment with equanimity, and there’s no need to buy from the expensive specialists. John Lewis’s Wave rippled fake-fur throw, with velvet reverse, costs £88 (0845 604 9049, www.johnlewis.com); Habitat’s sumptuous Tundra, in smoky grey, is £120 (150cm by 170cm; 0844 499 1111, www.habitat.co.uk); Joanna Wood has a faux-fur cocoa throw for £187 (020 7730 5064, www.joannawood.co.uk); and Heal’s has the gorgeous Alberta faux-fur cushion for £59 (0870 024 0780, www.heals.co.uk).

As well as fun, furry examples, there are some fabulously textured cushions on offer. Some have covers adorned with fabric petals (Zinnia Blossoms, 45cm by 45cm, £34; from John Lewis, as above), others are hand-embroidered (Triangles, 51cm by 51 cm, £125; from Fine Cell Work, 020 7931 9998, www.finecellwork.co.uk) or sequined (Glamour Dream, 30cm by 50cm, £25; from Zara, as above). Wallace Sewell has produced some of the most desirable woven examples. The design team, Harriet Wallace-Jones and Emma Sewell, create fabrics for fashion as well as furnishings, and the influence of the former is clear in cushions and throws in waffle-textured lambswool, and chenille in checks and stripes (from £75; 020 7833 2995, www.wallacesewell.com).

Wall hangings are a neglected but delightful winter accessory, wrapping cold rooms in a cosy, colourful cocoon. Two young artists are making exceptional examples at present. Alpa Mistry, a London-based textile designer, taps into her Indian heritage to bring us bespoke two-metre silk hangings (£1,200) and brilliantly striped woven cushions in hand-dyed silk, wool and linen (from £85; 07968 788045, www.alpamistry.com).

Selina Rose cuts silhouettes of butterflies, birds and flowers into dark wool felt (see facing page). Rugs start at £441, table runners at £97 (020 7729 3800, www.hiddenartshop.com). Beyond your budget? John Lewis’s Oriental Shadow place mat (£3; as above) is a cut-price take on the cut-felt trend – proving that it really doesn’t cost the earth to cheer up our chilly homes.

Soft cell from £125

Hand-embroidered on crimson linen, these cushions are from Fine Cell Work, a charity that teaches needlework skills in 20 British jails. The prisoners produce cushions and quilts, often to patterns donated by designers such as Celia Birtwell and Nina Campbell. Pictured from left: Pomegranate (53cm by 53cm, £125), Leaf (53cm by 53cm, £125) and White Urchin (56cm by 56cm, £150). 020 7931 9998, www.finecellwork.co.uk

Warm glow £60

Based in Cornwall, where they know how to keep out the cold, the Atlantic Blanket Co is a peerless purveyor of toasty chic. Its range spans gaily coloured mohairs, dotty lambswool and herringbone merino blankets, and these cosy, creamy Aran throws (168cm by 122cm). 0845 658 5194, www.atlanticblankets.com

Feather your nest £74

Selina Rose specialises in delicately cut and printed felt. She makes rugs, wall hangings, table runners, room dividers and vividly coloured cushions. Birdie (30cm by 50cm) is a lumbar pillow with a duck-feather pad. Made of turquoise wool felt, it features gold heat-transfer decals of birds. 020 7729 3800, www.hiddenartshop.com; www.selinarose.co.uk

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