I think you're realizing that the room dominates when it gets that small, and that nothing you do will alleviate the problems with placement near a wall behind the speakers, which will cause all kinds of response anomalies in the lower mids and upper bass.
You might consider a couple of very small satellite speakers and find a hiding spot for a small woofer that you can optimize for the listening position.
You might consider a couple of very small satellite speakers and find a hiding spot for a small woofer that you can optimize for the listening position.