Abhorrent? That's a pretty strong word for an aesthetic choice.
I think white speakers can look great with the proper decor, but to each his own.
For coaxial designs in home theatre there are limited options. Best four are probably TAD, KEF, Hsu and Genelec. I don't think Tannoy makes a coaxial bookshelf. TAD will be out of the op's price range. Genelec makes great compact speakers including studio reference monitors, but again, likely out of the op's price range. For under $1000 it's pretty much KEF or Hsu unless someone can find some other options I'm unaware of.