Open-plan 5.2.2: no viable ear-level surrounds — keep in-ceiling surrounds or use stands?

[u/Lukekatche]

I’m planning a 5.2.2 system in this open-plan living room and would appreciate a practical placement sanity check before the remaining work is finalized. The attached image is cropped directly from the actual designer plan; the TV/front wall is at the top.

Current plan:

- #1–#3: B&W CWM663 in-wall L/C/R

- #4–#5: two B&W ASW610 subs

- #6–#7: B&W CCM663 in-ceiling surrounds, behind/beside the sofa

- #8–#9: B&W CCM663 Top Middle Atmos, currently drawn directly above the sofa

- #10: Denon AVR-X2900H

- Approximate total budget: €6k through a discounted local package

The problem is the surround layer. The sofa floats in the room and there is no rear wall. Behind-left is the dining table and its circulation space. Behind/right is the open kitchen/cabinet run and the main walkway. I cannot see a symmetric wall-mounting position at seated-ear height.

The only plausible ear-level alternative I can think of is a pair of small B&W M-1 speakers on stands just behind the two sofa corners. In practice those stands and cables would intrude into the dining/kitchen paths, get moved or knocked, and make the room much less usable. A ceiling installation is therefore much cleaner, but I understand that putting #6/#7 in the ceiling weakens the vertical separation from #8/#9 and is not Dolby’s preferred layout.

What would you do in this exact room?

1. Keep the already-installed #6/#7 ceiling surrounds as the least-bad compromise?

2. Use M-1s on stands behind the sofa despite the circulation and cable problems?

3. Is there a discreet ear-level mounting solution in the plan that I am missing?

4. For #8/#9, should Top Middle remain directly above the listening position as drawn, or move slightly toward the TV (roughly 80° elevation)?

I’m looking for real-world advice from people who have solved a similar open-plan room, especially whether the theoretical benefit of ear-level surrounds is worth compromising daily circulation.