They dont look the best - but they sound the best - or they allow the kit to sound its best. I thought would have had this done by now hence why you was buying new speakers
You can change everything equipment wise but the room will still have the same impact on the kit - doesnt matter if its cost £100 or £100000.
The room can make kit sound very simialr I have learnt this myself.
Its a hard fact of sound reproduction. Some people are lucky and have better rooms than others but I have heard £70k speakers in a bad room sound the same - Bad! That room was a normal living room with carpet and fairly low ceiling with the speakers pointing directly at a big window behind the listener.
I Know the MK's are supposed to direct more sound at the listener - while thats great its also of no consequence as its the non direct sound thats the problem - it will still hit a reflective surface then back to the listener exactly the same smearing the end result and causing all manner of problems - flutter echo, ringing, freq peaks and dip etc.
I am saying this as you were half way to getting it done. Small sacrifice to how the room looks which to be honest you wont care about after as the sound will be so much better and your keen enough on it to spend the money you do that you will appreciate it
PS measurements are just for before and after to show the effects of the panelling. It will make little difference to where they are placed as a corner will still be a corner no matter what speakers you buy, a side wall or ceiling will still be that. Although I cant see you putting them up on the ceiling
The only negative is that if you have a bad room then you need a lot of acoustic treatment to make it sound like it should, but its always the best investment -
check this thread out from page 10