I went through the same thing last year and settled on a Blusound Powernode 2.
I originally thought of driving an existing pair of Tannoy Mercury F1's, but they would require a stand, so I settled on my Tannoy Mercury F4 - much bigger but they do not required a stand. They have a similar footprint to the F1 + stand and but more aesthetically pleasing + they sound a whole lot better :-)
Wife is happy - so am I :-)
If you want a small floor standing speaker - take a look at the Kudos - they sound fantastic as well as being "almost" invisible.
Hope that helps - Steve