While on a sailing trip in Nantucket in 2010, Sophie Aschauer, an Austrian-born, New York-based artist, happened upon a book of traditional nautical knots. The illustrations inspired her to create SerpentSea, a collection of woven floor mats made of reclaimed sailing and climbing rope.

The vibrant mats are available in four patterns—Bonny, Drake, Killigrew, and Morgan—named after infamous pirates from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Each mat comprises at least 150 feet of recycled rope, handwoven by Aschauer using classic knot-tying techniques.

Aschauer’s fascination with knots actually started during childhood. “When I went to my first sailing course as a little girl, I loved learning to make all the knots,” she says. “My brother and I would go on little adventures walking the shores of a lake in Austria just to buy sailing rope to practice different knots.”

A 2005 graduate of Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design in London, Aschauer also makes figurative paintings and drawings. She plans to expand the SerpentSea collection with larger pieces (currently available by special order only) this fall.

The mats range from $250 to $1,500 apiece, depending on size, and are available at serpentsea.com.