Design and retail offering Laura Ashley has opened its second specialist hotel, following the refurbishment of the Victorian-built Belsfield Hotel in Bowness-on-Windermere, UK.

Operated by Corus Hotels, the offering has been subject to a £3.5m (US$5.8m, €4.3m) refurbishment project, which has seen Laura Ashley's professional interior designers decorate the property with its famous Home collections.

Catering for up to 150 guests, the hotel features 62 rooms and suites, a swimming pool and sauna, cocktail bar, a restaurant serving local produce, drawing room, library, brasserie and a garden terrace.

The hotel is also seeking to cater for meetings, events, team building projects and conferences.

One particularly intriguing concept sees guests being able to purchase all of the décor produced by Laura Ashley from its online store; meaning that guests will be able to potentially recreate the look of the hotel in their own homes.

This concept follows the pattern at Laura Ashley’s first hotel offering, the 49-bedroom Manor Elstree , situated in 10 acres of natural woodland.

The creation of the Laura Ashley hotel concepts along with the recent launch of an IKEA museum, continues a trend whereby leisure facilities double as a potential shopfront. IKEA's offering sees its original store – created 70 years ago – turned into an attraction exploring the history of the Swedish brand.