You're not kidding about the decor thing! :-) I'm about to experiment with my speakers on the short wall of my living room, which will look totally awful, but might sound infinitely better. I can get the speakers even further from the back wall this way.
I also find the closer I get to the speakers, the more intimate the performance, especially on tracks where there aren't many instruments (ie: Beatles "Yesterday"). So, on some tracks I like to move in a little, while on others I move back out a little... a jump to the left; a step to the right...
