← back to Pattern Vault

Trend board 2026-08-03: Art Deco un-parked (#1 Spoonflower seller by volume), Q4 seasonal window opens (5 new briefs: deco respec, Harvest/Hallows pair, Yuletide Tartan, Acanthus Revival, Croc Plaster, Seagrass Whisper), equestrian demoted

7a25f5614878219a2f767c866d59592161b17f23 · 2026-08-03 06:38:19 -0700 · Steve Abrams

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

Files touched

• M data/trend-board.json
• M memos/trend-board.md

Diff

commit 7a25f5614878219a2f767c866d59592161b17f23
Author: Steve Abrams <steve@designerwallcoverings.com>
Date:   Mon Aug 3 06:38:19 2026 -0700

    Trend board 2026-08-03: Art Deco un-parked (#1 Spoonflower seller by volume), Q4 seasonal window opens (5 new briefs: deco respec, Harvest/Hallows pair, Yuletide Tartan, Acanthus Revival, Croc Plaster, Seagrass Whisper), equestrian demoted
    
    Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
---
 data/trend-board.json | 129 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++-----------------------
 memos/trend-board.md  |  99 +++++++++++++++-----------------------
 2 files changed, 106 insertions(+), 122 deletions(-)

diff --git a/data/trend-board.json b/data/trend-board.json
index c230869..da5ec57 100644
--- a/data/trend-board.json
+++ b/data/trend-board.json
@@ -1,78 +1,87 @@
 {
-  "scannedAt": "2026-07-27",
+  "scannedAt": "2026-08-03",
   "source": "design-trend-scout",
   "spendUsd": 0,
-  "spendNote": "$0 (local/free). Exa MCP was permission-blocked in this non-interactive session for the THIRD consecutive pass (2026-07-13, 07-20, 07-27) — the scout ran 14 marketplace/trend queries via built-in WebSearch instead, unmetered. $0 entry logged to cost-ledger.jsonl. Est. had Exa run: ~14 x $0.005 = ~$0.07 (cap was $2). STANDING FIX NEEDED: pre-approve mcp__exa__* for non-interactive design-trend-scout runs, or this skill will never actually use Exa.",
+  "spendNote": "$0 (local/free). Exa MCP permission-blocked in this non-interactive session for the FOURTH consecutive pass (2026-07-13, 07-20, 07-27, 08-03) — and this pass established there is NO stored EXA_API_KEY anywhere (the exa MCP entry is the hosted no-key mcp.exa.ai endpoint), so a REST fallback isn't possible either. Ran 10 marketplace/trend queries via built-in WebSearch + 6 curl page-extracts instead, unmetered. $0 entry logged to cost-ledger.jsonl. Est. had Exa run: ~16 x $0.005 = ~$0.08 (cap was $2). STANDING FIX: pre-approve mcp__exa__* for non-interactive design-trend-scout runs, or amend the skill doc to name WebSearch as the sanctioned path.",
   "sources": [
-    "spoonflower.com /shop/best-sellers + /shop/top-sellers + /shop/2026-trends + /shop/trend-colors-2026 + blog 2026-home-and-interior-trends (feminine story-florals, bold color/movement, woodland-storybook nursery, lush tropical, earthy organic, maritime/Mediterranean sun-washed; trend colors aligned to Benjamin Moore / Sherwin-Williams / Farrow & Ball 2026 paints)",
-    "etsy.com/market/wallpaper_peel_and_stick + /market/peel_and_stick_mural + /market/best_selling_seamless_pattern (bestsellers: Woodland-Animals-Reading blueish-green, Whimsical Jungle safari, Classic Landscape antique-forest mural, Vintage Chinoiserie floral+bird [bird = settlement-blocked for us], Sage Green Botanical; styles: boho florals, moody botanicals, vintage concert art, botanical murals, farmhouse florals)",
-    "Etsy digital-pattern market intel (outfy, mydesigns.io, dylanjahraus, patternweaver, insightagent): night gardens, bookish, tropical-summer, surf; holiday/floral/geometric/niche animal themes; OPS SIGNAL — 5-10 coordinating patterns bundled = premium $8-20 listing; commercial-license tiers command 3-5x",
-    "patternbank.com/trends Premiere Vision AW26-27 + SS27 (SS27 named directions: 'Floral Symmetry' — Art Nouveau refinement; 'Maxi Floral' — oversized blossoms, blurred painterly edges; 'colorful checks' strong return across tartans/ginghams/windowpanes/patchwork)",
-    "creativemarket.com/trends 'Next in Design 2026' + patternweaver + envato elements (Hand-drawn Revival with character motifs + authored imperfection; Y2K pixel/glitch retro [POD-digital lane, not wallcovering]; OVERSIZED textured motifs — huge hand-painted dahlias over rough linen; Vintage Block bestseller)",
-    "wallpaper 2026 trade press wave 2 (totalwallcovering, wallsrepublic, wallpaperdirect, worldofwallpaper, selectedwallpapers, archiproducts, paolomoschino, tetsipmedia, noblettswallpaper, bigwalldecor, hanodecor, canvasandivy, meltflexai, williammorriswallpaper): texture takes centre stage — grasscloth/linen/suede/plaster 'quiet luxury feature wall'; warm earthy palette (clay, terracotta, soft gold, warm beige, sage, deep green, mineral blue); large-scale florals; botanicals evolving AWAY from bright jungle toward subdued tapestry-register forest scenes; Victorian/Arts-and-Crafts/Art-Nouveau reimagined in modern colorways",
-    "WHAT'S-OUT designer press (AOL/BHG x2 '5 Wallpaper Trends Officially Out' + 'According to 5 Designers'): high-contrast black-and-white geometrics, large-format repetitive prints, faux-textures that read flat, overly busy/shiny/literal patterns, harsh bold geometric shapes 'dated, especially in small spaces'",
-    "equestrian wave 2 (yahoo/H&G heritage-trend, housedigest, bigwalldecor Year-of-Horse, diveros fire-horse, AOL 'classic motif replaces the bow'): trend matured into mainstream — 93% jump in farm-inspired design tasks; NEW REGISTER: clean-line horse silhouettes, monochrome outlines, soft neutrals (fits Scandi/Japandi/farmhouse); fire-element accents red/gold/burnt-orange/crimson; HomeGoods names 'modern equestrian elegance' a top 2026 trend",
-    "tiger-replaces-leopard press wave (whowhatwear 'Leopard, You're Done', homesandgardens, livingetc, marieclaire, greyjournal, housedigest, 1stdibs 'animal print migrating to interiors'): TIGER stripe is the 2026 It animal print — Spring 2026 runways Gucci/Chanel/Alaia/Chloe/Jacquemus; register = structured, architectural, softened caramel/sand; leopard explicitly fatigued",
-    "checkerboard/gingham wave (yahoo/H&G 'Checkerboard Trend is Back for 2026', homedit '16 Gingham Decor Ideas… Every Room', housedigest gingham floors, crypton): chicer register — softer colors + texture; cream+brown, cream+sage; gingham 'far beyond picnic-table nostalgia'; reads elegant/architectural in traditional rooms, graphic in minimalist",
-    "nursery wave (theeverymom, nurserydesignstudio, bunniesbythebay, mycastledecor, nestmood, roomrevivalstudio, spoonflower blog): woodland-storybook confirmed the 2026 nursery look — hand-drawn story-driven illustration; NEW: misty-forest murals (soft pines fading into fog, subtle deer/fox) make small nurseries feel larger; palette creamy white / misty taupe / moss + mauve/dusty-pink",
-    "society6.com/collections/wall-art-new-trending + redbubble + amybenblog (minimalist line art everywhere; soft organic calming abstracts; vintage travel posters + retro typography nostalgia; earthy tones, organic shapes, mixed-media)"
+    "Artfuly 'Spoonflower Pattern & Colour Trend Report — June 2026' (KEY FIND, full page extracted): Spoonflower-specific bestseller intelligence — Art Deco Geometric is 'the single best-selling wallpaper style by volume in 2026' (clean grids, scallop fans, structured symmetry, GOLD ON DARK GROUNDS leads); Botanical Maximalism (oversized flora, emerald/moss/mustard; Hot House Tropical + Cottagecore collections lead); Heritage Craft Revival (Morris acanthus — 'William Morris Acorn in Sand' is a named Spoonflower bestseller; Craft Revival + Traditional collections); Coastal Botanical (aqua/seafoam sea grasses, Riviera + Nautical collections trending); Tactile Texture & Grasscloth ('texture is the defining new luxury for 2026' — Spoonflower now stocks a DEDICATED Grasscloth product type; warm wheat + caramel neutrals lead)",
+    "Artfuly interior colour palettes 2026: Heritage Greens (deep forest→celadon; mid-tone green = most-requested wallpaper ground); Terracotta & Mediterranean Clay (SW CoY 'Universal Khaki' validates mid-tan); Cloud Dancer & Warm Neutrals (Pantone CoY 2026 = Cloud Dancer 11-4201 off-white; linen/wheat/caramel 'quiet craft')",
+    "Artfuly SS27 Premiere Vision (via Patternbank, images © Patternbank): FIVE of the six SS27 directions now named — Dreamy Floral (blurred pastel-haze romantic), Art Garden (craft-hand botanical gardens — direct bridge to the interiors Arts & Crafts revival), Geo Impact (saturated graphic geometric — 'more saturated than the 2026 Art Deco direction'), Travel Journal (mixed-media sketchbook/maps/stamps), Strange Forms (surreal biomorphic)",
+    "The Design Agent AW26/27 print forecast (full page extracted): WGSN/Coloro colours — Timeless Teal (CoY 2026, the season's dark), Oat Milk (the neutral), Milk Chocolate (key dark warm brown), Aurora Purple + Luminous Lime (accents). Print trends: Gothic Floral (moody, off-kilter, Altuzarra); Heritage Plaid (tartan + floral-overlay reworks, Etro; 'most in-demand prints among buyers'); Animal Skins — maximalist MIX of skins, 'classic leopard takes a step back, CROCODILE and SNAKESKIN emerging as standout favourites'",
+    "Tecnografica 'Wallpaper 2026: the 5 trends' (full page extracted): Force of Nature (lush botanical, emerald/moss/mustard + burnt orange); Ultra-detailed botanical art (monumental leaves, dark grounds, deep green/midnight/burgundy/ochre); Reinterpreted 1970s geometrics (orange/chocolate/mustard/olive/terracotta, monumental scale, also neutral+metallic variants); Earthy & neutral palettes (beige/sand/camel/terracotta/ochre/coffee/dove tone-on-tone textures); Elegant maximalism (Art Deco revival, jewel tones, black+gold, metallic inserts)",
+    "spoonflower.com blog + trends-2026 (via search; direct pages Cloudflare-blocked this pass): woodland-storybook nursery confirmed again for 2026; lush tropical layered foliage; maritime/Mediterranean sun-washed; warm clay/sunbaked-earth, coastal blues, nature beige, warm yellow optimism; 25%-off wallpaper promo through Aug 3 (peak-season merchandising signal)",
+    "etsy.com peel-and-stick market (via search): bestsellers still Vintage Green Tree Forest, Botanical Etching, Sage Green Wildflower (Scandi), Bird Chinoiserie [bird = settlement-blocked for us], Woodland-Animals-Reading; 'Olivia' and 'Coral Way' floral/leaf patterns emerging as bestsellers — overlapping leaves/flowers praised for undetectable seams; styles: boho florals, moody botanicals, vintage concert art, vibrant tropical; maximalist-eclectic layering",
+    "Etsy/Creative Market digital-pattern intel (patternweaver, resellready, snazzydesigns, insightagent): evergreen demand for seamless files (fabric/wallpaper/POD/packaging); quality bar = genuinely seamless hi-res files; current popular themes: mystical night gardens, bookish, tropical summer, surf; CM 448k+ seamless-pattern assets (saturated — differentiation via colorway families/bundles)",
+    "SEASONAL CALENDAR (patternweaver, snazzydesigns, insightagent): upload seasonal patterns 8-12 WEEKS AHEAD — Halloween/autumn-harvest listings get traction from LATE AUGUST; Christmas listings should be live Aug 15–Sep 15 to build sales history before Nov-Dec peak. THE WINDOW IS OPEN NOW (scan date Aug 3).",
+    "society6/redbubble (via search): abstract soft-organic, vintage travel posters + retro typography, earthy mixed-media; S6 = patterns/fine-art side, RB = graphic/text side",
+    "patternbank.com PV AW26-27 page itself still bot-walled (Cloudflare 'Just a moment') — six AW26/27 trend NAMES still unretrieved; TDA + Artfuly used as proxies for the same shows"
   ],
-  "market": "2026 mid-summer read is consistent with the July boards but sharper: the two engines remain (1) romantic/heritage MAXIMALISM — now explicitly 'Maxi Floral' oversized blossoms with blurred painterly edges, tapestry-register subdued botanicals (bright jungle is OUT), Victorian/Arts-and-Crafts/Art-Nouveau reimagined in modern colorways — and (2) QUIET-LUXURY TEXTURE — 'texture takes centre stage' is near-unanimous across a second full trade-press wave; grasscloth/linen-effect named 'the new quiet luxury feature wall for 2026'. The two sharpest NEW motif calls this pass: TIGER stripe formally replaces leopard as the It animal print (runway-endorsed), and checkerboard/gingham has gone from a single flag to a full press wave. Equestrian has matured from discovery press to mainstream (HomeGoods top-trend list) — still live, but the listing window is aging.",
-  "palette": "Warm earthy 2026 core: clay, terracotta, soft gold, warm beige/sand/cream, sage (the new neutral), warm brown, deep green, mineral blue. Quiet-luxury calm rooms: beige/sand/clay/taupe tone-on-tone. Drama rooms: deep forest, inky navy, oxblood, charcoal. Tiger/animal register: caramel + sand (softened) or forest-on-ink. Fire-horse accents: red, gold, burnt orange, crimson. Check palette: cream+brown, cream+sage, butter+cream. Nursery: creamy white, misty taupe, moss + mauve/dusty-pink or peach-fuzz.",
+  "market": "The August read sharpens three things. (1) BESTSELLER TRUTH vs press vibes: the first Spoonflower-specific volume data we've captured says ART DECO GEOMETRIC is the #1 selling wallpaper style by volume in 2026 — gold on dark grounds — which DIRECTLY CONTRADICTS the what's-out press that had us park the deco brief last scan. Resolution: what's dated is harsh black-and-white contrast geometrics; structured Deco elegance with metallic-on-dark warmth is what's actually selling. The deco brief is UN-PARKED and respec'd. (2) The two 2026 engines are unchanged and re-validated — heritage/romantic maximalism (Morris acanthus is a NAMED Spoonflower bestseller; Craft Revival collection live) and quiet-luxury TEXTURE (Spoonflower shipped a dedicated Grasscloth product type — platform-level validation, 5th consecutive scan). (3) TIMING: the Q4 seasonal window opens NOW — Halloween/autumn patterns need to be listed by mid-August and Christmas by mid-September to build ranking before peak; we hold zero seasonal designs. On the fashion-forecast side, AW26/27 confirms Gothic Floral (our Nocturne bench already covers it), Heritage Plaid (our plaid brief rides it), and an animal-skin MIX where leopard steps back and crocodile/snakeskin emerge alongside tiger.",
+  "palette": "2026 interior core (re-validated): Heritage Greens deep-forest→celadon (mid-green = most-requested wallpaper ground), terracotta/Mediterranean clay (SW Universal Khaki), Cloud Dancer off-white + linen/wheat/caramel 'quiet craft' neutrals. Deco register: metallic gold on dark grounds (ink, charcoal, deep teal). AW26/27 fashion-side: Timeless Teal (CoY — the season's dark), Oat Milk neutral, Milk Chocolate brown, Aurora Purple + Luminous Lime accents. Botanical-maximalism register: emerald + moss + mustard (+ burnt orange). Coastal: aqua/seafoam + sand. Nursery: creamy white, misty taupe, moss + mauve/dusty-pink. Seasonal Q4: harvest ochre/pumpkin/umber; Halloween ink+oxblood+ochre (elegant, not kitsch); Christmas forest+oxblood+gold tartan.",
   "catalogCovers": ["heritage botanical/trellis (Arden, Indigo Trellis, Rosewater, Calico Vine ditsy)", "dark moody florals (Nocturne x7 colorways)", "heritage noir botanical (Gilded Bough)", "chinoiserie branch neutral (40177/40178) + celadon monkeys", "damask (Terracotta Atelier)", "heritage stripes (oxblood 40172, brass 40171)", "mid-century retro (Atomic Meadow)", "coastal stripe (Tide Lines)", "block-print geometry (Folk Tile, Prussian block-leaf)", "geometric lattice (Greige Lattice)", "animal CHARACTER whimsy (foxes/raccoons/sloths/monkeys/designer-zoo x7)", "Muybridge motion plates (56250/56249)", "cactus/southwest + murals (57718, 38848)", "painterly florals (Cottage Wash, Apricot Garden)", "toile panoramic (40138 chamois)", "coastal mural panels (Monterey 57668/57669)", "greige/chamois abstracts (10024/10006)"],
-  "catalogNote": "Catalog STILL unchanged since 2026-07-02 (38 designs, all pricingStatus:DRAFT). This is now THREE consecutive scans (07-13, 07-20, 07-27) with zero briefs generated — the bottleneck is no longer research, it's the gated generation step. Every gap below is carried; the board's real top priority is Steve green-lighting a first generation batch.",
+  "catalogNote": "Catalog STILL unchanged since 2026-07-02 (38 designs, all pricingStatus:DRAFT). FOUR consecutive scans (07-13, 07-20, 07-27, 08-03) with zero briefs generated. The research side now has volume-ranked bestseller data and a time-boxed seasonal window; the constraint remains the gated generation step. If a first batch gets green-lit this week, the seasonal briefs still make the Q4 window.",
   "trends": [
-    { "lane": "Tiger-stripe animal print (skin-print, no figure)", "why": "PROMOTED to a named lane: 2026's formal It-print handoff — 'leopard, you're done' — tiger stripe endorsed by Spring 2026 runways (Gucci, Chanel, Alaia, Chloe, Jacquemus) and a 7-outlet interiors press wave (1stdibs: 'animal print migrating to interiors'). Register = structured, architectural, softened caramel/sand or moody forest-on-ink. We hold ZERO animal-skin coverage.", "priceBand": "$149-495", "haveCoverage": "NONE", "gap": "HIGHEST — sharpest fresh signal of this scan and the exact brief (Verdant Tiger Stripe) is already written and unbuilt" },
-    { "lane": "Tactile texture-effect / quiet-luxury tone-on-tone", "why": "RE-CONFIRMED 4th consecutive scan, now with the most explicit framing yet: grasscloth/linen-effect is 'the new quiet luxury feature wall for 2026' (Nobletts); 'texture takes centre stage' near-unanimous across the second trade wave. Highest commercial volume of any lane. Caveat from the what's-out press: FLAT faux texture reads cheap — the print must carry visible depth/slub illusion.", "priceBand": "$149-495", "haveCoverage": "NONE", "gap": "HIGH — carried unfilled across FOUR scans" },
-    { "lane": "Equestrian / Year of the (Fire) Horse", "why": "Still live and now MAINSTREAM (HomeGoods 'modern equestrian elegance' top-2026 list; 93% jump in farm-inspired design tasks; 'the classic motif replacing the bow'). Register has broadened: alongside the Ralph-Lauren tack-room look, press now calls out CLEAN-LINE horse silhouettes / monochrome outlines / soft neutrals that fit Scandi-Japandi rooms, + fire-element red/gold/burnt-orange accents. Window is aging — mainstream press means peak is here; list now or the moment passes.", "priceBand": "$149-495", "haveCoverage": "ADJACENT only (Muybridge motion plates 56250/56249)", "gap": "HIGH — but urgency now beats whitespace: ship the 3 written briefs this cycle or demote next scan" },
-    { "lane": "Checkerboard + gingham (the check family)", "why": "UPGRADED from single flag to full wave: 'Checkerboard Trend is Back for 2026' (H&G/Yahoo), 16-idea gingham roundup 'every room in the house' (Homedit), gingham floors (House Digest), PLUS Patternbank SS27 'colorful checks' across tartans/ginghams/windowpanes/patchwork. 2026 register: softer colors + texture — cream+brown, cream+sage; 'far beyond picnic-table nostalgia'. We have zero checks of any kind.", "priceBand": "$149-295", "haveCoverage": "NONE", "gap": "HIGH — cheap multi-colorway fill, signal doubled since last scan; expand brief to checkerboard + gingham pair" },
-    { "lane": "Art Nouveau / Floral Symmetry revival", "why": "NEW LANE this pass: Patternbank SS27 names 'Floral Symmetry — timeless balance and Art Nouveau refinement'; trade press independently reports Victorian/Arts-and-Crafts/Art-Nouveau patterns 'reimagined in modern colorways'; Rebel Walls runs a 170-design Art Nouveau category. Sinuous stylized florals + elongated curves in a modern palette. Settlement note: the classic peacock/dragonfly motifs are OFF-LIMITS (birds/insects adjacent) — our version is strictly botanical whiplash-line.", "priceBand": "$149-495", "haveCoverage": "LOW (heritage trellis is adjacent; no true Nouveau linework)", "gap": "medium-HIGH — named on both the trade AND forecast side, near-zero coverage" },
-    { "lane": "Storybook playful-whimsy nursery", "why": "Re-confirmed as THE 2026 nursery look (6 fresh sources): hand-drawn, story-driven woodland illustration; NEW sub-signal — misty-forest MURALS (soft pines in fog, subtle deer/fox) praised for making small nurseries feel larger. Woodland-Animals-Reading still a literal Etsy bestseller. Our designer-zoo character hand transfers directly.", "priceBand": "$149-395", "haveCoverage": "MEDIUM (strong adult-register characters; zero nursery colorways or storybook/mural staging)", "gap": "medium-HIGH — proven hand + named trend; add the misty-forest mural brief" },
-    { "lane": "Maxi Floral / oversized painterly blooms", "why": "STRENGTHENED: Patternbank SS27 'Maxi Floral — oversized flower heads with blurred painterly edges' + Creative Market 'huge hand-painted dahlias over rough linen' + trade 'large-scale florals for a focal wall'. Merges with the texture story (bloom over linen ground). Our florals are all small/mid-scale.", "priceBand": "$149-495", "haveCoverage": "STRONG in floral generally, NONE at oversized scale", "gap": "medium-HIGH — one oversized-scale design closes it and double-dips the texture trend" },
-    { "lane": "Romantic / heritage maximalist florals + tapestry botanicals", "why": "Core 2026 mega-trend intact; botanicals evolving toward subdued, tapestry-register forest scenes with soft depth — bright jungle prints explicitly OUT. Our heritage/moody floral bench is strong.", "priceBand": "$149-495", "haveCoverage": "STRONG (Arden, Nocturne x7, damask, painterly florals, Gilded Bough)", "gap": "low — covered; oversized scale handled by the Maxi Floral lane above" },
-    { "lane": "Dark moody botanical / whole-room deep tones", "why": "Re-confirmed (deep green, mineral blue, oxblood drama rooms; Etsy moody botanicals still bestselling).", "priceBand": "$149-395", "haveCoverage": "STRONG (7 Nocturne colorways + Gilded Bough)", "gap": "low" },
-    { "lane": "Neo-folk / block-print / hand-drawn craft revival", "why": "Re-confirmed: Creative Market 'Hand-drawn Revival' with character motifs + authored imperfection; Vintage Block packs bestselling; grown-up-cottagecore craft register.", "priceBand": "$149-395", "haveCoverage": "LOW (Folk Tile + Prussian block-leaf)", "gap": "medium" },
-    { "lane": "Chinoiserie (branch/floral — NO birds)", "why": "Vintage Chinoiserie (floral+bird) is a literal Etsy peel-and-stick bestseller — the bird versions stay settlement-blocked for us; branch/blossom-only lane continues to sell in sage/cream registers.", "priceBand": "$149-795", "haveCoverage": "MEDIUM (2 neutral branch designs + celadon monkeys)", "gap": "medium — saturated-ground version + branch MURAL still missing" },
-    { "lane": "Painterly scenic murals / antique-forest panoramas", "why": "Etsy mural bestseller list now led by 'Classic Landscape — Antique Forest Painting'; biophilic feature-wall move intact; nursery misty-forest murals are the same mechanic in a different room.", "priceBand": "$249-795", "haveCoverage": "MEDIUM (Monterey coastal x2, cactus mural, toile panel)", "gap": "medium — an antique-forest / garden panorama in a subdued tapestry palette is the missing piece" },
-    { "lane": "Small-scale ditsy / micro-print", "why": "Carried; still a Spoonflower volume play in the grown-up-cottagecore palette.", "priceBand": "$149", "haveCoverage": "LOW (Calico Vine only)", "gap": "medium" },
-    { "lane": "70s geometric protagonist", "why": "DOWNGRADED: signal now CONFLICTED — earlier wave said 'geometric becomes the protagonist', but the fresh what's-out designer press calls high-contrast and 'harsh bold geometric shapes' dated. Survivable version = warm low-contrast 70s palette with soft/painterly edges, not hard graphic contrast. Hold the brief, lower priority, soften the rendering note.", "priceBand": "$149-295", "haveCoverage": "LOW (Atomic Meadow only)", "gap": "low-medium (was medium)" },
-    { "lane": "Chartreuse + Art-Deco metallic geometric", "why": "Weak signal again + the anti-harsh-geometric press works against it. Keep the brief parked.", "priceBand": "$149-495", "haveCoverage": "LOW", "gap": "low (parked)" }
+    { "lane": "Art Deco geometric (metallic-on-dark)", "why": "UN-PARKED AND PROMOTED: first captured VOLUME data (Artfuly/Spoonflower June 2026) names Art Deco Geometric 'the single best-selling wallpaper style by volume in 2026' — clean grids, scallop fans, structured symmetry, gold on dark grounds leading; Tecnografica independently names Art-Deco-revival elegant maximalism (jewel tones, black+gold, metallic inserts) a 2026 macro-trend. Last scan's park was based on anti-harsh-geometric press — that press targets high-contrast B&W graphics, not warm metallic Deco. We hold ZERO Deco.", "priceBand": "$149-495", "haveCoverage": "NONE", "gap": "HIGHEST — #1 by sales volume on our primary target marketplace, zero coverage, brief already written (needs the respec below)" },
+    { "lane": "Q4 seasonal (autumn-harvest / Halloween / Christmas)", "why": "NEW TIME-BOXED LANE: the seasonal calendar intel is unanimous — list 8-12 weeks ahead; Halloween/autumn gains traction from LATE AUGUST, Christmas listings should be live Aug 15–Sep 15 to build ranking before the Nov-Dec peak. Halloween/autumn patterns are perennial Spoonflower category leaders. We hold ZERO seasonal designs and the window is open as of this scan.", "priceBand": "$149-395", "haveCoverage": "NONE", "gap": "HIGH + EXPIRING — unlike every other lane this one has a hard deadline; misses cost a full year" },
+    { "lane": "Tactile texture-effect / quiet-luxury tone-on-tone", "why": "RE-CONFIRMED 5th consecutive scan with the strongest validation yet: Spoonflower now stocks a DEDICATED Grasscloth Wallpaper product type — the platform itself productized the trend. 'Texture is the defining new luxury for 2026'; warm wheat + caramel neutrals lead. Caveat stands: flat faux-texture reads cheap — depth/slub illusion required.", "priceBand": "$149-495", "haveCoverage": "NONE", "gap": "HIGH — carried unfilled across FIVE scans; highest evergreen commercial volume" },
+    { "lane": "Animal-skin print family (tiger lead; croc/snake rising; skin-print, no figure)", "why": "Tiger-stripe remains the It-print handoff (runway + 7-outlet press, prior scans). FRESH AW26/27 signal broadens the lane: designers mixing skins maximalist-style, 'classic leopard takes a step back, crocodile and snakeskin emerging as standout favourites' — croc/snake read as TEXTURE prints, which double-dips the quiet-luxury texture engine. We hold zero skin prints.", "priceBand": "$149-495", "haveCoverage": "NONE", "gap": "HIGH — Verdant Tiger Stripe still lead brief; new croc-texture brief added this scan" },
+    { "lane": "Heritage Craft Revival / Morris acanthus (Arts & Crafts)", "why": "UPGRADED from generic heritage: 'William Morris Acorn in Sand' is a NAMED Spoonflower bestseller; Craft Revival + Traditional collections live; Morris designs in terracotta/clay/warm sage called out as filling a gap; trade press independently reports Morris motifs reimagined in blush/sage/terracotta. Our heritage botanicals are adjacent but we have NO dense acanthus-register Arts & Crafts repeat.", "priceBand": "$149-495", "haveCoverage": "ADJACENT (Arden, trellis, Gilded Bough — none in true acanthus density)", "gap": "medium-HIGH — named bestseller register, cheap to close with one dense repeat x3 colorways" },
+    { "lane": "Botanical maximalism / oversized biophilic flora", "why": "Artfuly ranks it a top interior direction (oversized flora at room scale, emerald/moss/mustard; Hot House Tropical + Cottagecore lead); Tecnografica's Force-of-Nature + ultra-detailed-botanical trends agree (monumental leaves on dark grounds). NOTE the register conflict from last scan resolves as BOTH/AND: vibrant biophilic scale sells on Spoonflower while trade press pushes subdued tapestry for designer rooms — two colorways, one composition. SETTLEMENT CAUTION: tropical foliage compositions must avoid the Part-A trifecta (directional leaves + open ground + multicolor) — spec dense edge-to-edge coverage or tone-on-tone single-ink renderings, and NEVER banana leaves/birds/butterflies.", "priceBand": "$149-495", "haveCoverage": "LOW at scale (florals strong, nothing oversized/biophilic)", "gap": "medium-HIGH — merge with Maxi Floral execution; the linen-ground Blurred Dahlia brief covers the subdued register, add a deep-ground monumental-leaf variant only with settlement pre-clearance" },
+    { "lane": "Coastal botanical (aqua/seafoam sea-grasses)", "why": "NEW LANE: Spoonflower Riviera + Nautical collections trending; soft aqua/seafoam + tropical-coastal botanical forms (sea grasses, coastal florals); 'light and airy, strong for bathrooms/bedrooms'; maritime/Mediterranean sun-washed confirmed on the Spoonflower blog side too. We have Tide Lines (stripe) and the Monterey murals — no coastal botanical REPEAT. SETTLEMENT CAUTION: sea-grass fronds are directional foliage — spec single-ink tone-on-tone (fails Part A3) to stay safely clear.", "priceBand": "$149-395", "haveCoverage": "ADJACENT (coastal stripe + Monterey murals; zero coastal botanical repeats)", "gap": "medium — seasonal-adjacent (strongest listing months are spring/summer, so build after Q4 seasonal + deco)" },
+    { "lane": "Checkerboard + gingham + heritage plaid (the check family)", "why": "Carried HIGH and re-confirmed from the fashion side: AW26/27 names Heritage Plaid a top-3 print trend (tartan + floral overlays + blurred strokes; 'most in-demand prints among buyers' per TDA). Christmas-tartan seasonality doubles the check family's Q4 value — the Olive Bothy Plaid brief gains a forest+oxblood+gold Christmas colorway.", "priceBand": "$149-295", "haveCoverage": "NONE", "gap": "HIGH — three converging signals (checkerboard wave + gingham wave + AW plaid) and a Q4 tie-in; still zero checks in catalog" },
+    { "lane": "Art Nouveau / Floral Symmetry revival", "why": "Carried: SS27 'Floral Symmetry' + trade press Nouveau-reimagined; this scan adds that Artfuly's Botanical-Maximalism exemplar image is literally captioned 'Spoonflower best-seller, art nouveau wallpaper' — the register is selling on-platform now, not just forecast. Settlement note stands: NO peacocks/dragonflies/insects — strictly botanical whiplash-line.", "priceBand": "$149-495", "haveCoverage": "LOW (trellis adjacent; no true Nouveau linework)", "gap": "medium-HIGH" },
+    { "lane": "Storybook playful-whimsy nursery", "why": "Re-confirmed again (Spoonflower 2026: woodland creatures + storybook wallpapers; Woodland-Animals-Reading still an Etsy bestseller). Our designer-zoo hand remains a direct transfer; misty-forest mural sub-trend carried.", "priceBand": "$149-395", "haveCoverage": "MEDIUM (adult-register characters; zero nursery colorways/staging)", "gap": "medium-HIGH — proven hand + named trend, two briefs already written" },
+    { "lane": "Maxi Floral / oversized painterly blooms", "why": "Carried; SS27 adds 'Dreamy Floral' (blurred pastel-haze romantic) as the forward register — the Blurred Dahlia brief already specs blurred painterly edges, so one soft-haze colorway covers the SS27 direction too.", "priceBand": "$149-495", "haveCoverage": "STRONG in floral generally, NONE at oversized scale", "gap": "medium-HIGH" },
+    { "lane": "Romantic / heritage maximalist florals + tapestry botanicals", "why": "Core mega-trend intact; our bench is strong; AW26/27 Gothic Floral (moody, off-kilter) maps directly onto the existing Nocturne line — a marketing/positioning note more than a build need.", "priceBand": "$149-495", "haveCoverage": "STRONG (Arden, Nocturne x7, damask, painterly florals, Gilded Bough)", "gap": "low" },
+    { "lane": "Dark moody botanical / whole-room deep tones", "why": "Re-confirmed (Gothic Floral AW26/27; Tecnografica dark-ground ultra-botanicals; Etsy moody botanicals bestselling).", "priceBand": "$149-395", "haveCoverage": "STRONG (7 Nocturne colorways + Gilded Bough)", "gap": "low" },
+    { "lane": "Neo-folk / block-print / hand-drawn craft revival", "why": "Carried; SS27 'Art Garden' (craft-hand botanical gardens) and 'Travel Journal' (sketchbook mixed-media) both extend the authored-imperfection register.", "priceBand": "$149-395", "haveCoverage": "LOW (Folk Tile + Prussian block-leaf)", "gap": "medium" },
+    { "lane": "Chinoiserie (branch/floral — NO birds)", "why": "Carried; bird chinoiserie still a literal Etsy bestseller (still settlement-blocked for us); branch/blossom-only lane sells in sage/cream.", "priceBand": "$149-795", "haveCoverage": "MEDIUM (2 neutral branch designs + celadon monkeys)", "gap": "medium — saturated-ground version + branch mural still missing" },
+    { "lane": "Painterly scenic murals / antique-forest panoramas", "why": "Carried; antique-forest register still the Etsy mural bestseller lane; nursery misty-forest is the same mechanic.", "priceBand": "$249-795", "haveCoverage": "MEDIUM (Monterey x2, cactus mural, toile panel)", "gap": "medium" },
+    { "lane": "Small-scale ditsy / micro-print", "why": "Carried; Spoonflower volume play; the autumn-harvest seasonal brief doubles as this lane's fill.", "priceBand": "$149", "haveCoverage": "LOW (Calico Vine only)", "gap": "medium" },
+    { "lane": "Equestrian / Year of the (Fire) Horse", "why": "DEMOTED per last scan's ultimatum: no fresh equestrian signal captured this pass (first quiet scan since the lane opened) and the trend was already called mainstream/peaking in July. The three briefs stay written and settlement-safe — if a generation batch opens this month they're still worth including at reduced priority; otherwise park next scan.", "priceBand": "$149-495", "haveCoverage": "ADJACENT only (Muybridge plates)", "gap": "medium (was HIGH) — window closing" },
+    { "lane": "70s geometric protagonist (softened)", "why": "Carried low-medium; Tecnografica re-endorses seventies geometrics at monumental scale (orange/chocolate/mustard/olive) including sophisticated neutral+metallic variants — which partially rehabilitates the lane, but the deco lane is the better-evidenced geometric bet this cycle.", "priceBand": "$149-295", "haveCoverage": "LOW (Atomic Meadow only)", "gap": "low-medium" }
   ],
   "briefs": [
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-animalprint-02", "lane": "Tiger-stripe animal print", "title": "Verdant Tiger Stripe", "prompt": "Original painterly tiger-stripe skin-print abstraction (no animal figure) in forest and moss green on deep ink; brushy irregular hand-inked stripes reading as luxe textile; structured, almost architectural rhythm.", "colorway": "Forest + moss on ink (NEW alt: caramel + sand — the softened runway register)", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE — abstract skin markings, no prohibited elements", "urgency": "PROMOTED TO #1 — tiger formally replaced leopard this season (runway + 7-outlet press); we own zero skin prints", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt, promoted 2026-07-27" },
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-texture-01", "lane": "Tactile texture / quiet luxury", "title": "Linen Weave Plain", "prompt": "Original photoreal woven linen/grasscloth texture as seamless near-plain wallcovering; visible warp/weft slubs and depth illusion (must NOT read flat — flat faux-texture is explicitly out); warm greige.", "colorway": "Warm greige linen (also clay, sand, sage)", "targetTier": "digital_single_use $149 x colorways", "settlement": "SAFE — abstract texture", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt (4th scan)" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-deco-01", "lane": "Art Deco geometric", "title": "Gilded Fan Deco", "prompt": "Original Art-Deco fan/scallop/sunburst geometric with clean structured symmetry, metallic-gold linework on a deep dark ground; warm elegant register (NOT harsh high-contrast graphic); subtle depth in the gold strokes. No plants/leaves/florals.", "colorway": "Metallic gold on ink-charcoal (LEAD — the 'gold on dark grounds' bestseller register; alts: gold on deep teal — ties the AW26/27 Timeless Teal CoY; original chartreuse edition demoted to third)", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE — abstract geometric", "status": "UN-PARKED + respec'd 2026-08-03 — Artfuly/Spoonflower volume data names Art Deco the #1 selling wallpaper style of 2026; ground flipped from chartreuse to dark" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-seasonal-01", "lane": "Q4 seasonal — autumn/Halloween", "title": "Harvest Ditsy & Hallows Damask (pair)", "prompt": "TWO coordinating originals: (a) Harvest Ditsy — tiny-scale hand-drawn autumn sprigs, wheat stalks, acorns and tiny pumpkins evenly scattered on cream, grown-up-cottagecore register; (b) Hallows Damask — elegant traditional damask silhouette whose ornament resolves into subtle Halloween motifs (moons, bats-as-flourish NO — use moons, stars, twisted branches and pumpkins only; NO birds, NO bats reading as birds, NO butterflies), ink ground, moody-luxe not kitsch.", "colorway": "(a) ochre + pumpkin + umber on cream; (b) ochre + oxblood on ink", "targetTier": "digital_single_use $149 each; bundle the pair", "settlement": "SAFE — (a) non-directional sprigs; (b) abstract damask ornament, prohibited fauna explicitly excluded; run post-gen vision to confirm no bat silhouettes read as birds", "status": "NEW 2026-08-03 — TIME-BOXED: needs to be generated + listed by ~Aug 20 to catch the Halloween ranking window" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-seasonal-02", "lane": "Q4 seasonal — Christmas", "title": "Yuletide Tartan", "prompt": "Original Christmas heritage tartan/plaid: forest green + oxblood + antique gold with soft woven-texture illusion, warm heirloom register; reads year-round-heritage enough to survive January.", "colorway": "Forest + oxblood + antique gold (alt: ivory + forest 'Scandi Christmas')", "targetTier": "digital_single_use $149 x2 colorways", "settlement": "SAFE — woven geometric", "status": "NEW 2026-08-03 — TIME-BOXED: list Aug 15–Sep 15 per the seasonal calendar; also rides the AW26/27 Heritage Plaid trend so it double-earns" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-morris-01", "lane": "Heritage Craft Revival / Morris acanthus", "title": "Acanthus Revival", "prompt": "Original Arts & Crafts repeat in the Morris register: dense scrolling acanthus leaves and stylized blooms in organic flat-colour forms, EDGE-TO-EDGE coverage with no open ground (dense tapestry density), hand-crafted flat rendering with fine outline work. STRICTLY botanical — NO birds, NO butterflies, NO fruit clusters reading as grapes.", "colorway": "Terracotta + clay on warm sand (LEAD — the named gap register; alts: warm sage tone-on-tone, deep forest ground)", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495 x3 colorways", "settlement": "SAFE — dense edge-to-edge coverage defeats the Part-A open-space condition; prohibited elements excluded; acanthus is classical ornament, not tropical foliage", "status": "NEW 2026-08-03 — 'William Morris Acorn in Sand' is a named Spoonflower bestseller; Craft Revival collection live" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-animalprint-03", "lane": "Animal-skin print family", "title": "Croc Plaster Texture", "prompt": "Original crocodile-skin texture abstraction (no animal figure): tessellated organic scale/plate pattern with soft embossed depth, reading as a luxe plaster/leather wallcovering texture from across the room; tone-on-tone, quiet-luxury register.", "colorway": "Caramel tone-on-tone (alts: milk-chocolate brown — the AW26/27 key dark; sage; ink)", "targetTier": "commercial_print $395-495", "settlement": "SAFE — abstract skin texture, no prohibited elements", "status": "NEW 2026-08-03 — AW26/27 names croc/snake the emerging skins as leopard steps back; double-dips the texture mega-trend" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-animalprint-02", "lane": "Animal-skin print family", "title": "Verdant Tiger Stripe", "prompt": "Original painterly tiger-stripe skin-print abstraction (no animal figure) in forest and moss green on deep ink; brushy irregular hand-inked stripes reading as luxe textile; structured, almost architectural rhythm.", "colorway": "Forest + moss on ink (alt: caramel + sand — the softened runway register)", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE — abstract skin markings, no prohibited elements", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt (promoted 07-27; still the lane lead)" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-texture-01", "lane": "Tactile texture / quiet luxury", "title": "Linen Weave Plain", "prompt": "Original photoreal woven linen/grasscloth texture as seamless near-plain wallcovering; visible warp/weft slubs and depth illusion (must NOT read flat — flat faux-texture is explicitly out); warm greige.", "colorway": "Warm greige linen (also wheat + caramel — the named 2026 grasscloth leads — plus clay, sage)", "targetTier": "digital_single_use $149 x colorways", "settlement": "SAFE — abstract texture", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt (5th scan); wheat/caramel colorways added 2026-08-03" },
     { "id": "BRIEF-2026-texture-02", "lane": "Tactile texture / quiet luxury", "title": "Sage Ogee Whisper", "prompt": "Original tone-on-tone micro-ogee geometric, sage-on-sage with minimal contrast, fine embossed-textile look; reads as a solid across the room, reveals pattern up close.", "colorway": "Sage on sage (also charcoal-on-black, mushroom-on-linen)", "targetTier": "digital_single_use $149 x3 colorways", "settlement": "SAFE — abstract geometric", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt" },
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-horse-01", "lane": "Equestrian / Year of the Horse", "title": "Heritage Canter", "prompt": "Original hand-engraved-look equestrian repeat: galloping and cantering horse silhouettes with flowing manes, alternating with laurel sprigs and heritage medallions, single-color line engraving on cream; classic sporting-print rhythm, dignified not cartoonish. NO birds, NO butterflies.", "colorway": "Oxblood line on cream (also ink-navy, forest, cognac)", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE — horses not prohibited; pastoral, non-tropical", "urgency": "Window AGING — trend is mainstream now; this cycle or demote", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt" },
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-horse-03", "lane": "Equestrian (subtle register)", "title": "Cognac Tack Room", "prompt": "Original heritage foulard/neat repeat of SUBTLE equestrian cues — snaffle bits, stirrups, buckled straps and laurel — tight tailored small-scale layout on cream; Ralph-Lauren tack-room register, no literal horse figures.", "colorway": "Cognac + saddle-brown on cream (also forest, navy)", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE — tack objects + laurel", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt" },
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-horse-04", "lane": "Equestrian (clean-line register)", "title": "Silhouette Canter — Line Study", "prompt": "Original minimalist clean-line equestrian repeat: single-weight monochrome contour-line horse silhouettes in motion, generous open ground, calm airy rhythm; Scandi-Japandi register per the 2026 press ('clean-line horse silhouettes, monochrome outlines, soft neutral tones'). NO birds, NO butterflies.", "colorway": "Warm taupe line on ivory (also charcoal-on-bone, burnt-orange accent edition for the fire-horse angle)", "targetTier": "digital_single_use $149 - commercial_print $395", "settlement": "SAFE — horse silhouettes, minimal ground", "status": "new-2026-07-27 — fills the newly-named minimalist register the engraved briefs don't cover" },
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-check-01", "lane": "Check family", "title": "Sage Cottage Check", "prompt": "Original cottagecore checkerboard: hand-painted soft-edged check squares with faint brushy/linen texture, cream-and-sage; geometry neutral so color carries it.", "colorway": "Cream + sage (also cream+brown — the named 2026 combo, cream+dusty-rose, cream+ochre)", "targetTier": "digital_single_use $149 x4 colorways", "settlement": "SAFE — abstract geometric", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt; cream+brown colorway added 2026-07-27" },
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-check-02", "lane": "Check family", "title": "Butter Gingham", "prompt": "Original painterly gingham: soft woven-look gingham check with visible thread texture and gentle irregularity, mid-scale; 'beyond picnic-table nostalgia' — elegant, textural, room-scale. Multiple colorways.", "colorway": "Butter + cream (also sage+cream, brown+cream, dusty-rose+cream)", "targetTier": "digital_single_use $149 x4 colorways", "settlement": "SAFE — woven geometric", "status": "new-2026-07-27 — gingham named its own wave (Homedit 16-idea roundup, Patternbank SS27 checks)" },
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-nouveau-01", "lane": "Art Nouveau / Floral Symmetry", "title": "Whiplash Garden", "prompt": "Original Art-Nouveau-inspired botanical repeat: sinuous whiplash-line stems, elongated stylized blossoms and vines in mirrored symmetric layout, flat decorative rendering with fine linework; reimagined in a modern muted colorway per 2026 press. STRICTLY botanical — NO birds, NO butterflies, NO insects, NO peacocks/dragonflies.", "colorway": "Deep green + gold on cream (also sage/cream tone-on-tone, ink+ochre)", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE — stylized botanical linework only; classic Nouveau fauna motifs explicitly excluded", "status": "new-2026-07-27" },
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-maxifloral-01", "lane": "Maxi Floral", "title": "Blurred Dahlia — Linen Ground", "prompt": "Original oversized-scale floral: huge painterly flower heads (dahlia/peony forms) with soft blurred edges over a visible rough-linen texture ground; 1-2 blooms per repeat width, focal-wall scale; subdued tapestry palette, soft depth — NOT bright jungle.", "colorway": "Clay + dusty-rose blooms on warm linen (also deep-forest ground edition)", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE — florals, non-tropical, no prohibited elements", "status": "new-2026-07-27 — double-dips SS27 Maxi Floral + the texture mega-trend" },
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-nursery-01", "lane": "Storybook playful-whimsy nursery", "title": "Woodland Storybook", "prompt": "Original storybook-nursery repeat in our designer-zoo character hand: hand-drawn woodland animals (bears, foxes, rabbits, deer — NO birds) reading, napping and playing among soft ferns and toadstools; calm and joyful, not overstimulating.", "colorway": "Moss + misty taupe + peach-fuzz on creamy white (also mauve/dusty-pink edition)", "targetTier": "commercial_print $395", "settlement": "SAFE — character animals (non-bird), non-tropical staging", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt; palette updated to 2026 nursery spec" },
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-nursery-02", "lane": "Storybook nursery (mural)", "title": "Misty Pines Mural", "prompt": "Original full-wall nursery mural: soft pine forest fading into fog with layered atmospheric depth, a few subtle hand-drawn deer and foxes at ground level; calm, makes small rooms feel larger. NO birds.", "colorway": "Misty taupe + moss + creamy white", "targetTier": "mural commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE — pines + non-bird animals, non-tropical", "status": "new-2026-07-27 — the named misty-forest nursery-mural sub-trend" },
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-animalprint-01", "lane": "Animal-skin print", "title": "Rosewood Cheetah", "prompt": "Original stylised cheetah-rosette markings, hand-painted look, scattered on warm plaster ground; skin-print abstraction only, no animal figures.", "colorway": "Rose-clay + cocoa on oatmeal", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt — DEMOTED 2026-07-27 (press: leopard/spot fatigue; tiger is the lane leader — build 02 first)" },
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-horse-02", "lane": "Equestrian", "title": "Muybridge Gallop — Oxblood", "prompt": "Extend our Muybridge sequential-motion-plate style into a dedicated horse-gait study: sepia sequential frames arranged in scholarly plate rows on an oxblood ground; ties into 56250/56249.", "colorway": "Sepia plates on oxblood", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt" },
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-folk-01", "lane": "Neo-folk revival", "title": "Tulip Kilim Folk", "prompt": "Original neo-folk repeat: symmetric tulip-and-heart wreath motifs, simplified flat forms, visible block-print texture, modern palette; non-tropical, no birds.", "colorway": "Muted terracotta + electric blue on bone", "targetTier": "commercial_print $395", "settlement": "SAFE", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-check-01", "lane": "Check family", "title": "Sage Cottage Check", "prompt": "Original cottagecore checkerboard: hand-painted soft-edged check squares with faint brushy/linen texture, cream-and-sage; geometry neutral so color carries it.", "colorway": "Cream + sage (also cream+brown, cream+dusty-rose, cream+ochre)", "targetTier": "digital_single_use $149 x4 colorways", "settlement": "SAFE — abstract geometric", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-check-02", "lane": "Check family", "title": "Butter Gingham", "prompt": "Original painterly gingham: soft woven-look gingham check with visible thread texture and gentle irregularity, mid-scale; elegant, textural, room-scale. Multiple colorways.", "colorway": "Butter + cream (also sage+cream, brown+cream, dusty-rose+cream)", "targetTier": "digital_single_use $149 x4 colorways", "settlement": "SAFE — woven geometric", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-plaid-01", "lane": "Check family / heritage plaid", "title": "Olive Bothy Plaid", "prompt": "Original moody heritage plaid/tartan in olive, charcoal and bronze with soft woven-texture illusion; menswear-flannel warmth. AW26/27 rework option: add a faint blurred-stroke or floral-overlay edition per the Etro-register plaid reworks.", "colorway": "Olive + charcoal + bronze", "targetTier": "digital_single_use $149", "settlement": "SAFE", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt; AW26/27 rework note added 2026-08-03 (Yuletide Tartan covers the Christmas colorway)" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-nouveau-01", "lane": "Art Nouveau / Floral Symmetry", "title": "Whiplash Garden", "prompt": "Original Art-Nouveau-inspired botanical repeat: sinuous whiplash-line stems, elongated stylized blossoms and vines in mirrored symmetric layout, flat decorative rendering with fine linework; modern muted colorway. STRICTLY botanical — NO birds, NO butterflies, NO insects, NO peacocks/dragonflies.", "colorway": "Deep green + gold on cream (also sage/cream tone-on-tone, ink+ochre)", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE — stylized botanical linework only; classic Nouveau fauna motifs explicitly excluded", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-maxifloral-01", "lane": "Maxi Floral", "title": "Blurred Dahlia — Linen Ground", "prompt": "Original oversized-scale floral: huge painterly flower heads (dahlia/peony forms) with soft blurred edges over a visible rough-linen texture ground; 1-2 blooms per repeat width, focal-wall scale; subdued tapestry palette, soft depth — NOT bright jungle.", "colorway": "Clay + dusty-rose blooms on warm linen (also deep-forest ground edition; NEW pastel-haze 'Dreamy Floral' edition for the SS27 register)", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE — florals, non-tropical, no prohibited elements", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt; SS27 Dreamy-Floral colorway added 2026-08-03" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-nursery-01", "lane": "Storybook playful-whimsy nursery", "title": "Woodland Storybook", "prompt": "Original storybook-nursery repeat in our designer-zoo character hand: hand-drawn woodland animals (bears, foxes, rabbits, deer — NO birds) reading, napping and playing among soft ferns and toadstools; calm and joyful, not overstimulating.", "colorway": "Moss + misty taupe + peach-fuzz on creamy white (also mauve/dusty-pink edition)", "targetTier": "commercial_print $395", "settlement": "SAFE — character animals (non-bird), non-tropical staging", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-nursery-02", "lane": "Storybook nursery (mural)", "title": "Misty Pines Mural", "prompt": "Original full-wall nursery mural: soft pine forest fading into fog with layered atmospheric depth, a few subtle hand-drawn deer and foxes at ground level; calm, makes small rooms feel larger. NO birds.", "colorway": "Misty taupe + moss + creamy white", "targetTier": "mural commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE — pines + non-bird animals, non-tropical", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-coastal-01", "lane": "Coastal botanical", "title": "Seagrass Whisper", "prompt": "Original coastal botanical repeat: slender sea-grass and coastal-plant silhouettes swaying in a single direction, rendered STRICTLY tone-on-tone in ONE ink color on a pale ground (single-ink spec is the settlement guard); airy, light, bathroom/bedroom register.", "colorway": "Seafoam-on-mist (alts: aqua-on-sand, sage-on-ivory)", "targetTier": "digital_single_use $149 x3 colorways", "settlement": "SAFE BY SPEC — single ink color defeats Part A3 (multiple-colors condition); no birds/butterflies; re-verify at post-gen vision", "status": "NEW 2026-08-03 — build AFTER the Q4/deco batch; peak listing season is spring" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-mural-01", "lane": "Painterly scenic mural", "title": "Antique Forest Panorama", "prompt": "Original full-wall painterly forest panorama in the antique-landscape-painting register: layered old-master trees, soft golden light, receding depth, subdued tapestry palette; fine-art scenery, oversized scale. NO birds.", "colorway": "Umber + moss + antique gold (also deep teal-green garden edition)", "targetTier": "mural commercial_print $795", "settlement": "SAFE — no birds/butterflies, non-tropical", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt" },
     { "id": "BRIEF-2026-chinoiserie-sat-01", "lane": "Chinoiserie (saturated, no birds)", "title": "Nocturne Garden Chinoiserie", "prompt": "Original hand-painted-look chinoiserie of flowering branches, peonies and boughs on deep forest-green ground; gold + blush blooms. STRICTLY branches + flowers, NO birds, NO butterflies.", "colorway": "Gold + blush on forest green", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt" },
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-mural-01", "lane": "Painterly scenic mural", "title": "Antique Forest Panorama", "prompt": "Original full-wall painterly forest panorama in the antique-landscape-painting register (the current Etsy mural bestseller lane): layered old-master trees, soft golden light, receding depth, subdued tapestry palette; fine-art scenery, oversized scale. NO birds.", "colorway": "Umber + moss + antique gold (also deep teal-green garden edition)", "targetTier": "mural commercial_print $795", "settlement": "SAFE — no birds/butterflies, non-tropical", "status": "reframed-2026-07-27 (was Saturated Garden Panorama; antique-forest register now the named bestseller)" },
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-ditsy-01", "lane": "Small-scale ditsy micro-print", "title": "Meadow Ditsy", "prompt": "Original tiny-scale ditsy floral micro-print, hand-drawn sprigs and dots evenly scattered on open cream ground; multiple colorways in the grown-up-cottagecore palette.", "colorway": "Sage + dusty-rose sprigs on bone (also ochre, mushroom)", "targetTier": "digital_single_use $149", "settlement": "SAFE — non-directional sprigs", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt" },
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-plaid-01", "lane": "Moody heritage plaid", "title": "Olive Bothy Plaid", "prompt": "Original moody heritage plaid/tartan in olive, charcoal and bronze with soft woven-texture illusion; menswear-flannel warmth.", "colorway": "Olive + charcoal + bronze", "targetTier": "digital_single_use $149", "settlement": "SAFE", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt (also rides the SS27 tartan/check signal)" },
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-arch-01", "lane": "70s geometric (softened)", "title": "Terracotta Arcade", "prompt": "Original 70s-revival geometric of overlapping arch motifs at monumental scale — SOFTENED per the what's-out press: low-contrast warm palette, painterly/plaster edges, subtle paper grain; NOT hard graphic contrast.", "colorway": "Terracotta + clay + sand (contrast reduced from the prior mustard/chocolate spec)", "targetTier": "digital_single_use $149", "settlement": "SAFE — abstract geometric", "status": "carried-over, respec'd + deprioritized 2026-07-27 (harsh geometrics called dated)" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-folk-01", "lane": "Neo-folk revival", "title": "Tulip Kilim Folk", "prompt": "Original neo-folk repeat: symmetric tulip-and-heart wreath motifs, simplified flat forms, visible block-print texture, modern palette; non-tropical, no birds.", "colorway": "Muted terracotta + electric blue on bone", "targetTier": "commercial_print $395", "settlement": "SAFE", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-ditsy-01", "lane": "Small-scale ditsy micro-print", "title": "Meadow Ditsy", "prompt": "Original tiny-scale ditsy floral micro-print, hand-drawn sprigs and dots evenly scattered on open cream ground; multiple colorways in the grown-up-cottagecore palette.", "colorway": "Sage + dusty-rose sprigs on bone (also ochre, mushroom)", "targetTier": "digital_single_use $149", "settlement": "SAFE — non-directional sprigs", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt (Harvest Ditsy covers the autumn edition)" },
     { "id": "BRIEF-2026-toile-01", "lane": "Toile de Jouy", "title": "Meadow Toile", "prompt": "Original toile-de-jouy pastoral: hand-engraved-look vignettes of meadow, trees, cottages and figures, single-color line engraving on cream. NO birds.", "colorway": "Oxblood line on cream (also forest, navy)", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt" },
-    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-deco-01", "lane": "Chartreuse Art-Deco geometric", "title": "Gilded Fan Deco", "prompt": "Original Art-Deco fan/sunburst geometric, metallic-gold linework on chartreuse; no plants/leaves/florals.", "colorway": "Metallic gold on chartreuse", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt (PARKED — weak signal + anti-harsh-geometric press)" }
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-arch-01", "lane": "70s geometric (softened)", "title": "Terracotta Arcade", "prompt": "Original 70s-revival geometric of overlapping arch motifs at monumental scale — softened: low-contrast warm palette, painterly/plaster edges, subtle paper grain; NOT hard graphic contrast.", "colorway": "Terracotta + clay + sand", "targetTier": "digital_single_use $149", "settlement": "SAFE — abstract geometric", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-horse-01", "lane": "Equestrian", "title": "Heritage Canter", "prompt": "Original hand-engraved-look equestrian repeat: galloping and cantering horse silhouettes with flowing manes, alternating with laurel sprigs and heritage medallions, single-color line engraving on cream. NO birds, NO butterflies.", "colorway": "Oxblood line on cream (also ink-navy, forest, cognac)", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt — DEMOTED 2026-08-03 (no fresh signal this scan; include in a batch if one opens this month, else park)" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-horse-03", "lane": "Equestrian (subtle register)", "title": "Cognac Tack Room", "prompt": "Original heritage foulard/neat repeat of subtle equestrian cues — snaffle bits, stirrups, buckled straps and laurel — tight tailored small-scale layout on cream; no literal horse figures.", "colorway": "Cognac + saddle-brown on cream (also forest, navy)", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt — DEMOTED 2026-08-03" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-horse-04", "lane": "Equestrian (clean-line register)", "title": "Silhouette Canter — Line Study", "prompt": "Original minimalist clean-line equestrian repeat: single-weight monochrome contour-line horse silhouettes in motion, generous open ground, calm airy rhythm; Scandi-Japandi register. NO birds, NO butterflies.", "colorway": "Warm taupe line on ivory (also charcoal-on-bone, burnt-orange fire-horse edition)", "targetTier": "digital_single_use $149 - commercial_print $395", "settlement": "SAFE", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt — DEMOTED 2026-08-03" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-horse-02", "lane": "Equestrian", "title": "Muybridge Gallop — Oxblood", "prompt": "Extend our Muybridge sequential-motion-plate style into a dedicated horse-gait study: sepia sequential frames arranged in scholarly plate rows on an oxblood ground; ties into 56250/56249.", "colorway": "Sepia plates on oxblood", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt — DEMOTED 2026-08-03" },
+    { "id": "BRIEF-2026-animalprint-01", "lane": "Animal-skin print family", "title": "Rosewood Cheetah", "prompt": "Original stylised cheetah-rosette markings, hand-painted look, scattered on warm plaster ground; skin-print abstraction only, no animal figures.", "colorway": "Rose-clay + cocoa on oatmeal", "targetTier": "commercial_print $495", "settlement": "SAFE", "status": "carried-over-unbuilt — stays DEMOTED (AW26/27 re-confirms leopard/spot fatigue; tiger + croc lead the lane)" }
   ],
   "opsSignals": [
-    "Etsy digital: bundling 5-10 coordinating patterns = premium $8-20 listing; commercial-license tiers command 3-5x — when Pattern Vault listings go live, ship colorway FAMILIES as bundles, not singles (our x3/x4-colorway briefs are already shaped for this).",
-    "Exa MCP permission-blocked 3 scans running in non-interactive sessions — pre-approve mcp__exa__* for this skill's launchd/cron context or drop Exa from the skill doc.",
-    "Generation bottleneck: 3 scans, 21 briefs, 0 generated. The board is compounding research on a pipeline that hasn't started."
+    "SEASONAL DEADLINE: Halloween/autumn briefs need generation + listing by ~Aug 20; Christmas by Sep 15. First hard calendar constraint the board has carried — it converts the standing 'green-light a batch' ask from important to urgent.",
+    "Etsy digital: bundling 5-10 coordinating patterns = premium $8-20 listing; commercial-license tiers command 3-5x — ship colorway FAMILIES as bundles (briefs already shaped for this). The Harvest Ditsy + Hallows Damask pair is deliberately a bundle seed.",
+    "Exa MCP: 4th consecutive permission-blocked scan AND no EXA_API_KEY exists anywhere (hosted no-key mcp.exa.ai endpoint) — either pre-approve mcp__exa__* for this skill's non-interactive context or amend the skill doc to bless WebSearch as the primary path.",
+    "Generation bottleneck: 4 scans, 26 briefs, 0 generated. This scan added volume-ranked bestseller data (Art Deco #1) and a hard seasonal deadline; the constraint is entirely the gated generation step."
   ],
   "topPriorities": [
-    "1. Verdant Tiger Stripe (animalprint-02) — the season's formal It-print handoff (tiger replaces leopard, runway-endorsed, 7-outlet press); zero coverage; brief already written. Add the caramel+sand runway colorway.",
-    "2. Texture + quiet-luxury tone-on-tone (texture-01/02) — 4th consecutive scan unfilled; 'the new quiet luxury feature wall for 2026'; highest commercial volume.",
-    "3. Equestrian trio (horse-01/03/04) — mainstream now, window aging: ship this cycle or demote next scan. New clean-line Silhouette Canter covers the Scandi-Japandi register the press just named.",
-    "4. Check family (check-01/02) — signal doubled (checkerboard wave + gingham wave + SS27 checks); two cheap designs x4 colorways each open the whole lane.",
-    "5. Whiplash Garden (nouveau-01) + Blurred Dahlia (maxifloral-01) — the two NEW named lanes from the forecast side (SS27 Floral Symmetry + Maxi Floral); each double-dips an existing mega-trend.",
-    "META: green-light a first generation batch — three scans of compounding research have produced 21 settlement-safe briefs and zero generated designs; the constraint is the gated generation step, not demand intel."
+    "1. Gilded Fan Deco (deco-01, UN-PARKED + respec'd to gold-on-dark) — first volume-ranked data names Art Deco the #1 selling wallpaper style on Spoonflower in 2026; we hold zero. The single best-evidenced build on the board.",
+    "2. Q4 seasonal pair + tartan (seasonal-01/02) — hard deadline: Halloween window closes ~Aug 20, Christmas Sep 15. Cheap digital-tier builds; missing them costs a full year.",
+    "3. Texture duo (texture-01/02) — 5th scan unfilled; Spoonflower productized grasscloth (dedicated product type); wheat/caramel colorways added.",
+    "4. Skins duo: Verdant Tiger Stripe (animalprint-02) + NEW Croc Plaster Texture (animalprint-03) — tiger still the It print; AW26/27 adds croc/snake as the emerging skins; croc doubles as a texture play.",
+    "5. Acanthus Revival (morris-01, NEW) — Morris acanthus is a named Spoonflower bestseller with an explicitly-named terracotta/clay/sage gap; one dense repeat x3 colorways closes it.",
+    "META: green-light a first generation batch NOW — four scans, 26 settlement-safe briefs, zero generated, and for the first time a calendar deadline (Q4 seasonal) that expires. Suggested first batch if capacity is ~8: deco-01, seasonal-01(a+b), seasonal-02, texture-01, animalprint-02, animalprint-03, morris-01."
   ]
 }
diff --git a/memos/trend-board.md b/memos/trend-board.md
index f0119cb..2209987 100644
--- a/memos/trend-board.md
+++ b/memos/trend-board.md
@@ -1,62 +1,37 @@
-# Trend Board — 2026-07-27 refresh
-
-**Cost:** $0 (built-in WebSearch, 14 queries — Exa MCP permission-blocked in this
-non-interactive session for the 3rd straight pass; est. ~$0.07 had Exa run, cap was $2).
-**Catalog:** still 38 designs, unchanged since 07-02, all DRAFT. **Three scans, 21 briefs,
-zero generated** — the bottleneck is the gated generation step, not research.
-
-## What changed since 07-20
-
-1. **Tiger replaces leopard — the sharpest new signal.** A 7-outlet press wave
-   (WhoWhatWear "Leopard, you're done", H&G, Livingetc, Marie Claire, House Digest,
-   1stdibs) + Spring 2026 runways (Gucci, Chanel, Alaïa, Chloé, Jacquemus) formally hand
-   the It-animal-print crown to **tiger stripe**, migrating into interiors. Our written
-   **Verdant Tiger Stripe** brief is promoted to **priority #1** (add a caramel+sand
-   runway colorway); Rosewood Cheetah demoted within the lane.
-2. **Checkerboard/gingham upgraded to a full wave.** H&G/Yahoo "Checkerboard is back for
-   2026", Homedit's 16-idea gingham roundup, gingham floors, plus Patternbank SS27's
-   "colorful checks" (tartans/ginghams/windowpanes). New **Butter Gingham** brief joins
-   Sage Cottage Check as a two-design check family; cream+brown named the 2026 combo.
-3. **New lane: Art Nouveau / "Floral Symmetry".** Named by Patternbank SS27 AND the trade
-   press ("Victorian, Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau reimagined in modern colorways").
-   New brief **Whiplash Garden** — strictly botanical linework; the classic
-   peacock/dragonfly Nouveau motifs are settlement-adjacent and explicitly excluded.
-4. **New lane: Maxi Floral.** SS27's "oversized flower heads with blurred painterly edges"
-   + Creative Market's "huge dahlias over rough linen." New brief **Blurred Dahlia — Linen
-   Ground** double-dips the texture mega-trend.
-5. **Equestrian matured to mainstream** (HomeGoods top-2026 list, 93% jump in
-   farm-inspired projects). Register broadened: press now names **clean-line monochrome
-   horse silhouettes** for Scandi-Japandi rooms → new brief **Silhouette Canter**.
-   Window is aging: **ship the equestrian trio this cycle or demote next scan.**
-6. **What's-OUT press reshapes two lanes.** Designers call high-contrast B&W geometrics,
-   large repetitive prints, flat faux-texture, and "harsh bold geometric shapes" dated.
-   → 70s-geometric lane **downgraded + respec'd** (soft low-contrast terracotta/clay, not
-   mustard/chocolate contrast); Deco stays parked; texture briefs must render visible
-   depth, never flat.
-7. **Nursery: misty-forest murals** named (soft pines in fog, subtle deer/fox, makes small
-   rooms feel larger) → new brief **Misty Pines Mural**; Woodland Storybook palette
-   updated to creamy-white/misty-taupe/moss + mauve.
-8. **Mural lane reframed**: Etsy's mural bestseller is now "Classic Landscape — Antique
-   Forest Painting" → garden panorama brief reframed as **Antique Forest Panorama**.
-9. **Texture/quiet-luxury re-confirmed a 4th time** — "the new quiet luxury feature wall
-   for 2026" (Nobletts). Still our biggest unfilled commercial-volume gap.
-
-## Top priorities
-
-1. **Verdant Tiger Stripe** — season's It print, zero coverage, brief ready.
-2. **Texture pair** (Linen Weave Plain, Sage Ogee Whisper) — 4 scans unfilled.
-3. **Equestrian trio** (Heritage Canter, Cognac Tack Room, + new Silhouette Canter) — now or never.
-4. **Check family** (Sage Cottage Check + Butter Gingham, 4 colorways each).
-5. **Whiplash Garden + Blurred Dahlia** — the two new forecast-named lanes.
-
-**META:** the board's real top priority is Steve green-lighting a **first generation
-batch** — everything above is settlement-safe-briefed and waiting on the gated
-generate step (wallpapersback-agent) and gated listing.
-
-## Ops signals
-
-- Etsy digital intel: bundle 5–10 coordinating patterns → premium $8–20 listings;
-  commercial-license tiers command 3–5×. Our multi-colorway briefs are already
-  bundle-shaped — list as families.
-- Pre-approve `mcp__exa__*` for this skill's non-interactive runs (3 passes blocked), or
-  amend the skill doc to name WebSearch as the sanctioned path.
+# Trend Board — 2026-08-03 refresh
+
+**Scout cost:** $0 (Exa MCP permission-blocked 4th consecutive non-interactive scan **and** no EXA_API_KEY exists — hosted no-key endpoint; ran 10 WebSearch queries + 6 curl extracts instead, unmetered. Est. had Exa run: ~$0.08 vs the $2 cap.)
+
+## Headline: bestseller DATA arrived, and it un-parks Art Deco
+
+This is the first scan with **volume-ranked Spoonflower bestseller intelligence** (Artfuly June-2026 report, full page extracted):
+
+1. **Art Deco Geometric is the #1 selling wallpaper style by volume in 2026** — clean grids, scallop fans, structured symmetry, **gold on dark grounds**. We parked the deco brief last scan on anti-harsh-geometric press; that press targets high-contrast B&W graphics, not warm metallic Deco. **Gilded Fan Deco is un-parked, respec'd gold-on-ink, and is now priority #1.** We hold zero Deco.
+2. **Texture validated at platform level** — Spoonflower now stocks a **dedicated Grasscloth product type**. 5th consecutive scan with the texture lane unfilled; wheat + caramel lead.
+3. **Morris acanthus is a named bestseller** ("William Morris Acorn in Sand") with an explicitly-named gap in terracotta/clay/sage → new brief **Acanthus Revival**.
+4. **Coastal botanical** (Riviera/Nautical, aqua/seafoam) trending → new single-ink-spec brief **Seagrass Whisper** (build after Q4).
+
+## Second headline: the Q4 clock started
+
+Seasonal calendar intel is unanimous: **Halloween/autumn listings need to be live by ~Aug 20; Christmas Aug 15–Sep 15** to build ranking before peak. We hold **zero seasonal designs**. New time-boxed briefs: **Harvest Ditsy + Hallows Damask** (bundle pair) and **Yuletide Tartan**. This is the board's first expiring deadline — it converts the standing "green-light a batch" ask from important to urgent.
+
+## Fashion-side (AW26/27 via The Design Agent; SS27 via Artfuly/Patternbank)
+
+- **Gothic Floral** — our Nocturne bench already covers it (positioning note, not a build).
+- **Heritage Plaid** — tartans + floral-overlay reworks "most in demand"; rides our check-family briefs + Yuletide Tartan.
+- **Animal skins** — leopard steps back; **crocodile + snakeskin emerge** alongside tiger → new brief **Croc Plaster Texture** (doubles as a texture play).
+- Colours: **Timeless Teal** (CoY 2026), Oat Milk, Milk Chocolate, Aurora Purple, Luminous Lime. Pantone interiors CoY: **Cloud Dancer** off-white.
+- SS27 named directions: Dreamy Floral, Art Garden, Geo Impact, Travel Journal, Strange Forms.
+
+## Demotions
+
+- **Equestrian** — first quiet scan since the lane opened; per last scan's ultimatum, all 4 horse briefs demoted (include only if a batch opens this month, else park).
+- **Rosewood Cheetah** stays demoted (spot fatigue re-confirmed).
+
+## Catalog
+
+Still 38 designs, unchanged since Jul 2, all DRAFT. **Four scans, 26 settlement-safe briefs, zero generated.** The constraint is the gated generation step, not research.
+
+**Suggested first batch (~8):** deco-01 · seasonal-01(a+b) · seasonal-02 · texture-01 · animalprint-02 · animalprint-03 · morris-01
+
+Full lanes, briefs, sources, and settlement notes: `data/trend-board.json`.

← b6d0086 design-trend-scout: refresh trend board 2026-07-27 (tiger-re  ·  back to Pattern Vault  ·  trend board 2026-08-10: Deco #1 re-confirmed, NEW paisley la 7f0e5a0 →