With a fireplace in the room, you have the perfect place for a screen. From the perspective of the room’s layout. There’s no need to rearrange the room / seating to accommodate the screen.
Two things make the placement of a projection screen near an open fire less ideal.
The one that would concern me most is smoke. Heat would be a concern too, though to a lesser extent. I’ll explain that later.
I have had a woodburning stove in my house for many years. With a nice big mirror above it. When we built an extension, the stove was taken out. And so was the mirror. What remained was a bright spot on the wall, where the mirror had been. The surrounding area was completely discoloured.
That will happen to your projection screen as well. Especially when you are using the screen with the fire on. It’s a gradual process of course, but over time, the projection screen fabric will no longer be white. At that point, your image will no longer be the best. But, it’s easily resolved by buying a new screen of course. The second issue, heat, doesn’t need to be a big one.
It all depends on how close the screen will be to the fire. In other words, the intensity of the heat. In general projection screens perform better in a warm than in a cold environment. I have seen more than a few screens that look horrible when they come straight out of storage. After half an hour or so, they look great. That’s when the fabric is at room temperature.
With intense heat, it’s a different story though. The fabric will melt or deform. This should be avoided, because it’s irreversible.
So how do you know whether your projection screen will be at risk? Simple, light a fire in the fireplace.
Then, after an hour or so, hold your hand in the position where your screen fabric will be. If you can hold your hand in that position comfortably, the fabric will be safe.
Yeah, I know. Not exactly science, but a simple way of keeping your screen safe.
Good luck,
Otto