Soften default tables reference chrome

docs/tables_frontend_overhaul_implementation_plan.md

@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ It is intentionally implementation-focused:
 | 2026-03-21 | P3.7 | Completed | Added a dedicated desktop inspector column that reads from the shared selected-cell state and keeps the selected result readable beside the grid. |
 | 2026-03-21 | P3.8 | Completed | Reused the inspector body inside a mobile bottom sheet with its own backdrop and close affordance so touch users keep the same selection-driven inspector model as desktop. |
 | 2026-03-21 | P3.9 | Completed | Pulled legend/help out of the always-on canvas component and turned it into an explicitly toggled secondary surface controlled from the context bar. |
+| 2026-03-21 | P3.10 | Completed | Softened the default `Reference` mode by replacing repeated curation wording in resting cells with subtle status indicators and by simplifying the top-level guidance copy. |
 
 ### Lessons Learned
 
@@ -109,6 +110,7 @@ It is intentionally implementation-focused:
 - The inspector should be its own sibling surface in the page layout, not nested inside the table shell. That keeps the content reusable for both desktop and the later mobile sheet without coupling it to canvas markup.
 - The inspector content itself should be shared independently of its container. Once the body is separated from the desktop column chrome, the mobile bottom sheet can reuse it with almost no behavioral drift.
 - Help content should not stay embedded in the canvas component once the grid becomes the main task surface. Moving legend rendering back to the page host makes it easier to demote, reposition, or merge with future help surfaces.
+- Hiding maintenance noise in default reference mode is mostly a copy and chrome problem, not a routing or data problem. Replacing repeated curation words with quieter indicators goes further than adding yet another toggle.
 
 ## Target Outcomes
 
@@ -478,7 +480,7 @@ Build the shared interaction infrastructure needed by multiple destinations befo
 | `P3.7` | Completed | Desktop now has a dedicated inspector column driven by the shared selected-cell state instead of forcing result reading back into the grid alone. |
 | `P3.8` | Completed | Mobile now uses a bottom-sheet inspector that reuses the same selected-cell content as the desktop inspector column. |
 | `P3.9` | Completed | Legend/help is now on-demand and controlled from the context bar instead of always rendering below the canvas. |
-| `P3.10` | Pending | Hide maintenance and developer noise in default reference mode. |
+| `P3.10` | Completed | Default `Reference` mode now uses quieter status indicators and calmer guidance copy so the page reads less like a maintenance surface. |
 | `P3.11` | Pending | Preserve editor and curation entry points through the inspector. |
 | `P3.12` | Pending | Normalize click/tap/keyboard selection and close the phase with a hardening pass. |