@willyht I haven't read through all the comments in this thread. So, this is based on personal experience with similar components and, of course, my opinion.
My listening room (i.e. living room) is almost identical to yours, both size and shape-wise. However, acoustical properties are different. I've got the wall-to-wall carpeting and cushy furniture. However, my ceiling is 9' high and it and the walls are solid wood (i.e. log cabin). I have a pair of Revel F206 powered by a MAC integrated. The speakers are approximately 22" from the wall behind them and separated from each other by approximately 6'. More would be better. However, I am forced to deal with living space and aesthetic concerns; not to mention SWMBO (She Who Mus Be Obeyed). Listening position is approximately 8' from the speakers with about 2' of space behind that. Again, a little more would be better in this regard, if not for the aforementioned limitations.
If memory serves correctly, the 228be have Beryllium tweeters. While I haven't done much seat-time with Beryllium tweeters, my sense is that having a healthy amount of empty space behind the listening position with these would be an advantage, especially with regard to listening fatigue, much in the same way as it would be with AMT tweeters. I've found that pointing my F206 straight out at the listening position is better than toeing them in and encourage you to experiment with this, if you haven't already. Off-axis performance with the F206 is about the best I've ever heard. My guess is your 228be probably excel in this regard, as well.
While you can, of course, go through the bother & effort of what your friend has suggested for your equipment, my suspicion is that this will result in time & effort wasted. If you do experiment, however, please let us know what comes of it.