Just bought a "little bit" of a fixer upper, as you can see below and I'm trying to find a layout that best optimizes the space and without any extremely dramatic changes, i.e. moving the stairs.

My first concern is where I have the dishwasher drawn. I don't want it in a corner, however I'd rather have 36" of cabinets between the stove and sink, rather than 24", with 24" on the right of the sink, and 12" between the stove and wall. Lastly, the previous owner closed off what was a hallway (That's why there is an arch) to the bedrooms to make the the fridge recessed and to create a larger opening into the kitchen. The hole next to it was the hallway linen closet. (The width of the hole is the depth of the old closet.) The reason the bottom of the "hole" is blocked off is for head clearance because the stairs are below. I planned on using it as a pantry, since it seems to be the best use of space.

I have attached an image of what I have in mind thus far. I do want to add an additional window, as you can see in my preliminary
drawing, that way I can move the sink down and still have it centered
below the window, while adding more space near the stove. I also plan on
removing the the existing wall by the window to make room for a
peninsula since the "dining room" isn't very practical. As for the half
wall, I didn't want to protrude too far out from where the fridge and
pantry are, so I thought to put a row of upper cabinets (only 12") to
add counter space and storage.

Again, I am looking for any help with a possibly better layout, or any design suggestions.
Thank you!!