A used pair of Silverline Sonatinas might fit the bill nicely considering your tastes and room size. To meet your price target you might need to go with the old cabinet style, but I think it's actually more attractive than the Sonatina IIs. You will sacrifice a little bass with the older version though, but it should still give you enough to play with. I've always liked Thiels too, and I think the Sonatinas do many of the same things but evoke a little more emotion and are much easier to match with upstream components. Best of luck.
Tim
Tim