If you can control subfloor moisture content, you will be good to go.

I've actually done "extensive research" about this over the last few weeks, because we are going to be putting down wood floors, and installing them ourselves. It is not entirely true that wood flooring must be laid perpendicular to the joists, although that was the instruction that I first found. If your subfloor is thin or old, and thus your flooring is going to be nailed into the joists, you should lay the boards perpendicular to the joists. This does not apply in most newer houses which have thicker subfloors. It seems that the most common way to lay it IS to lay the length of the board parallel to the longest side of the room, which is not always perpendicular to the joists. Some installers will also choose to lay it running back from an entryway, so that you see an "expanse" or length of board as you gaze into the house while in the entry. (As paulines suggested, too.) Laying the floors in opposite directions depending on the room is totally normal, and doesn't look odd, especially if you install a threshold. What it does do, though, is emphasize the individual rooms. I, personally, like that look. I like a traditional layout with individual rooms, rather than an open concept layout, and I like having thresholds between each room, even if the same flooring is being continued throughout. We plan to do all of our rooms with the boards laid along the longest side of the room. In some cases, this means that the boards will run in the same direction as boards in adjacent rooms/hall. In other cases, the boards will run perpendicular to those in an adjacent room. We have a 1" subfloor - we will be face nailing the boards because we're laying wide plank flooring for an old look, but since the subfloor is so thick, we don't need to hit the joists.

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I will take a photo of my office which has LVP against hardwood and post. But it may be a while, when I get a chance. Maybe some others here have better examples. I wondered about cork too. Not sure about in a kitchen. My brother laid it himself in his apt. it was a lot of work and not too easy. It has to be sealed. I've never seen it but I did work in a place that had real linoleum. That was fabulous. Soft, quiet, colorful and durable. It's pricey but for just the kitchen, would probably not break the bank. I'm not sure how easy it is to come by though. This place where I worked was a big office in a big city so their ability to find it and get it installed might be different than someone living out in the boondocks. Here's a photo of my faux marble tiles. They are a plastic resin of some sort. It's not a good photo, I didn't take it to show how the wood and marble-look stuff went together, but it does show some of the many options that are out there. They had this marble-look stuff in many color variations. Ignore the hideous blue carpet, it is on its way out. I'm going through the same dilemma as you about replacing it, which is why I clicked on your post. I really like the tile, we have it in our kitchen and entry way. It has a similar feel to real linoleum.