Maximalism about expression, pattern, and decoration and is seen in a Bridgeport cottage; the design gallery Casa Perfect; a bedroom by the interior designer Dabito; the portraits by Kehinde Wiley, which was included in the recent ICA Boston exhibition Less Is A Bore; and the Glendale home of Jesse Levison (left to right). | Brett Bulthuis; Douglas Friedman; Dabito; Kehinde Wiley, Courtesy of ICA Boston; Heidi?s Bridge; Shutterstock

More is more Here?s the thing with patterns: Once you see them, you can?t stop seeing them. For a while, Jenelle Porter, an independent art curator, couldn?t escape a hash mark. It appeared on a painting by Howardina Pindel, throughout the work of Jasper Johns, and on a floral textile pattern by Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi. Eventually, Porter included the pieces in the exhibition Less Is A Bore: Maximalist Art and Design, which was on view at Boston?s Institute of Contemporary Art last year, along with dozens of other works of artists and designers who Porter considers maximalists. The exhibition included Ettore Sottsass?s c. 1981 Casablanca cabinet, which he covered in red, yellow, and black laminate printed with a spotted pattern; Marcel Wanders?s 2010 Bon Bon, a round chair that looks like it was crocheted out of gold; Sanford Biggers?s c. 2016 Dagu, a mixed-media piece made from quilts with a cloud graphic painted on; and Liza Lou?s c. 2008 artwork Offensive/Defensive, a composition of glass beads that looks like a granny s...