Films and fibres of cellulose were functionalised with silver and gold nanoparticles directly generated on the surface. The present method lays on the cellulose surface pre-modification, replacing some of the hydroxyl groups by amino functions, which selectively act as the seed coordination sites. Nanoparticles can then grow through the interaction with aqueous dilute solutions of AgNO3 or NaAuCl4 at room temperature, without adding any reducing agent. The procedure offers the advantage of limiting the generation of nanoparticles to the cellulose surface, leaving the dispersion medium completely exempt of them. The cellulose pre-modification also ensures chemical anchoring of the nanoparticles to the surface, avoiding any risk of particle desorption and extending the lifetime of the resulting hybrid materials. Evidence of the formation of the NPs on the cellulose surfaces was supported by FE-SEM, AFM, XPS and XRD. The method is simple and reproducible.