Audition, audition, audition as much as you can. If you are close to Chicago, they got the show coming up in April. You are looking for something for your ears that you like. You have mentioned a smaller room, so where you are listening, see if they can do a similar set up to what you have, as to a room size. I have had places move speakers and stand mounts are an easy move. If they wine about doing this, go somewhere else. It can be a good indicator that they are or aren't worth dealing with. As mentioned, hi-fi mixed with mid-fi you may not get to where you are wanting to go. The speakers have to match the amp. Some brands to consider and look that I have really liked in stand mount are: Harbeth, Sonus Faber, various LS35A manufacturers. Another consideration would be a pair of Meridian speakers, these are speaker and amp as one. While not a true stand mount, they have a similar floor profile. Still love my old reliable JBL's. To me everything has a signature sound and from there match to an amp/components, as mentioned by @vonhelmholtz
Another point to make. I used to sell and found myself missing what I had. While very happy with the new, there is still a signature that makes each great design especially wonderful. I have become an accumulator. My wife hates it but, oh well. You might find you really miss what you had.
Lastly, there are some that grow a system around an amp and find speakers to match. For example, smaller rooms are great for a low wattage SET amp with high efficiency speakers, such as Zu. You have much work and fun ahead of you.