Thanks all. The floor is carpet on concrete which is good. I had a look at some Elves, looks interesting but I don't think you can buy the recommended stand from Ikea anymore (the Kompass).
I've had Arcs in a small room and they were surprisingly accommodative of their surroundings. However, the little Shahinian Super Elves are a much better speaker in my small room. "Norman Green" of this parish (I bought my Elves off him) felt the same way (I seem to remember he bought new Arcs after selling me his, and then went back to Elves again). I have not heard Compasses, but I can recommend the Super Elf highly if you can find a recent-ish pair.
I have a spare pair if you ever need a set - bought just in case I needed another set of Elves...
The Shahinian website still has the Elves pictured on Ikea stands.