The official I-95 “Welcome to Maine” sign is the state’s way of saying hello. Now there’s a new welcome sign of sorts for your own home: a Maine lobster rope doormat.

These colorful, durable, and, yes, buoyant, doorway decorators are the perfect entryway accessory. The Maine Float-Rope Co. (980 Dutch Neck Rd., Waldoboro, 207-832-0600, www.mainefloatrope.com) has created the mats from recycled lobster trap float-rope, the stuff that used to connect the traps to the ocean floor (new regulations prohibit the use of it [see page 74] ). The doormats come in medium (eighteen inches by thirty inches) or large (twenty-four inches by thirty-six inches), in bright or muted tones, and in single or two-color patterns. From $49.95 to $79.95, these mats also support Maine causes: part of the proceeds go to northern right whale protection groups, Maine lobstermen organizations, and other environmentally sound initiatives in the Gulf of Maine. So every time you step in or out of your house, you can step on (in a good way) a little piece of Maine.

Photo by Cyndi McIntyre