some help with speaker placement/purchase

If you’re serious about two channel and have a choice then use the room that lends itself better for that purpose and fully enjoy rather than dealing with and listening to a bunch of limiting compromises. 

Also, you’ve given us nothing to go on regarding what’s important to you in sound reproduction and speaker performance — just some vague room descriptions. Garbage in, garbage out.

@soix et al: I'm trying to ask a simple and direct question. Perhaps it's a question that needs more context but if so, I'd like to understand that, too. I'm here to learn. And I will assume that your comment "garbage in, garbage out" refers not to my post (which is the syntactical referent in your sentence and which would be staggeringly rude!) but to a general principle of acoustic reproduction.

One of the gifts of this forum is also one of the curses: people ask broad questions ("confused and don't know what to do") and then hundreds of answers follow that take up everything from power conditioners and esoteric cables to barometric pressure and astrological predictions. It's FANTASTIC and FUN in all its excess but it can get off track. I intentionally didn't comment on what is important to me in speaker performance or the components in my system or anything else about the room. There are thousands of variable here. Of course everything, including the aesthetics of the speaker design, contribute to the way we experience and hear sound. I'm trying not to ask about ... everything. Instead I'm trying to ask, perhaps naively or inarticulately, a very specific question about whether there's any way to predict how a speaker will perform when placed relatively close to a wall of windows. For example, I'm curious whether a (rear) ported speaker would, in general, be better or worse. There may not be an answer or it may not matter--but I think it's a reasonable question. Or, to take another example: I wouldn't put a ribbon/electrostatic speaker right up against a wall, so ... are there types of speakers that do better close to a wall? And another example: the system that @rego pointed me to has speakers right up against glass doors; are those speakers designed for that kind of placement?

As for whether I'm "serious" about two-channel: I'm talking about spending up to $15,000 on a pair of speakers; I'm on this forum asking questions; I'm researching every element that I can control; I'm going to the Montreal audio show in a month; I've talked directly with half a dozen speaker/component manufacturers and another half dozen stores; I've messaged with a few *terrific* members out here (and if you're reading this, thank you!). Yes, I'm serious. But I'm also serious about the music itself; I'm serious about my marriage; I'm serious about finding the right spot for my listening (which may not be the best spot acoustically); and I'm serious about creating a living space that is inviting to anyone who comes into my house. (Two decades ago I told my wife that no one would notice the Maggies in the living room. Yeah, right.) The other room I mentioned is a possibility but, as I would have hoped was obvious, has enough "limiting compromises" that it is less desirable overall. And even if I do end up using, it, I'm STILL interested in any advice on putting speakers relatively close to a wall/windows.

I'm sorry for this rant! I'm an avid fan of this forum and I'm relying on it as I move forward. This place ROCKS! So, genuinely, thank you to anyone reading this, very much including @soix.

Speakers with controlled directivity tend to be more forgiving of placement (such speakers usually do not give a wide sweet spot). Still, a wall of glass behind the speakers is not going to give a happy result. Perhaps with sufficient absorption and diffusion on the wall behind the listener, it can be made to work. Maybe, also, drapes can be used behind the speakers when listening.

Dutch & Dutch, Janszen, and Kii are some of the brands that make speakers with controlled dispersion. Also, many pro monitors (e.g., Genelec) are made that way, and are designed to work close to the wall. I have a pair of Janszen Valentinas (a/k/a zA2.1), which match your budget and are indeed compact floor-standing speakers, and I like them a lot. They are hybrid electrostatics, but are not dipoles; they are quite neutral and low in distortion.

Agree with rego about sealed design.  A sealed design simply is more often a controlled sound and less interactive with its surroundings.  I'm the guy who always flogs active speakers.  I'm the ATC fan.  Of course there are other sealed active speakers that sound great.

Spatial Audio are Very forgiving of room deficiencies. A brand to check out for sure.