Often times our clients are looking for something EXACTLY like what you're decribing. Sometimes, though, it can be tough to mix speakers into your decore.
I have a few suggestions for you. 1st, I would do an integrated amp combo. At your budget, the
NAD M3 (MSRP: $2800)
http://nadelectronics.com/products/masters-series/M3-Dual-Mono-Integrated-Amplifier would be an excellent piece. Lots of power, which will be needed for a high quality floor standing speaker. It would also leave you open to (down the road) going with the NAD M5 CD/SACD player which, besides being a great disc player, looks really cool when they're matched up.
For alternatives on the electronic side of your system, I would still recommend NAD. Their price/performance/value ratio is excellent for integrated amps. Something like the
NAD C372 (MSRP $1K)
http://nadelectronics.com/products/hifi-amplifiers/C372-Stereo-Integrated-Amplifier has plenty of power for you, but DOES lack a lot of the features of the Master Series Piece (and looks quite a bit less, shall we say, WAF?).
On the speaker side of things, well, this is where it gets interesting.
I was all set to recommend the
Canton Karat 770 DC (MSRP $2500 pair)
http://www.canton.de/en-produktdetail-karat-karat770dc.htm , but with your cabinet/furniture situation, I don't know how something with side firing woofers is going to be able to breathe properly. They are beautiful to look at (in gloss piano black they're stunning!), under 4' tall, and have a fabulous sound.
The
Jamo C 809 (MSRP $2K pair)
http://jamo.com/Default.aspx?ID=5908&M=Shop&PID=17140&ProductID=17795 is an excellent speaker. Really nice looking & high quality build, too. This speaker is under 4' (barely) and would really fill your room with very very good sound. All of the drivers are front firing, so no worries there. They are not super bass heavy. I would describe this as an accurate product focussed on NOT being in your face or forward. They will benefit from having good electronics powering them.
I like the C 809 better in all respects than the
Energy RC-70 http://www.energy-speakers.com/v2/products/product-page.php?id=266 , which occupies the same price point @ $2K per pair. As a dealer of both brands, I have strong knowledge and comparisons of both lines. The Energy bookshelf speaker from the RC line is excellent for $500 but, in my opinion, the towers from Jamo offer a better look, better build, and better sound for the same $. However, I won't be in your home listening to them so you'll have to try them out for yourself!
My last suggestion is NOT the best looking speaker on the planet. Not even close. It's built well & it's not ugly, but it's just a plain box speaker. The speaker IS currently available, but the manufacturer is updating their website & it's not on there yet. I will link some articles with pictures of them though....
The
BG Z-92 (MSRP $2500) is an AWESOME speaker. Nothing on the market sounds like a BG speaker. The BG tweeter yields an incredibly unique presentaion of detail & depth in music that in 10 years "InTheIndustry" I have not heard. I think that BG really acheived something special sonically with the Z-92, they just look plain (available in black, cherry, maple)! If you can find a dealer near you that has these, just go give them a listen to try them out.
Here's a picture:
http://www.bgcorp.com/news.read.php?article_id=61
Happy Hunting!
