Red is popular for DRs since it stimulates the appetite and conversation! But, it can be a difficult color to work with. I have seen people paint the white below the chair rail and use narrow frames to mimic panels...you could probably find an DIY instruction online. It would give it more dimension.

Yup. You could also paint one wall red, or all walls red, or the ceiling red.
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I side strongly with your husband. All decorating decisions should be able to be justified so here are mine. Most likely if you have a traditional dining room you have a room full of medium to dark furniture. A warmer red will be much more flattering to the dark wood and because the furniture blends better with it the room will look bigger. Paint the area below the chair rail the same as the upper wall, never a different color. Why, Because dividing the wall into contrasting sections makes the room look short and choppy. Also Visually lighter color on the bottom does not look strong enough to carry the visual "weight" of the top color and feels uncomfortable. As far as the dining room becoming dark, the darker room will be more dramatic. Dining rooms are not meant to be lit for close or detailed work. They are meant to be lit by candle light . Also dining rooms are where we often display some of our most precious items. China, Silver, Crystal and serving pieces show up much better in a dramatic space. If your husband and I win, unless you have a very bid dining room, I would eliminate the white woodwork and paint it a warmer tanish color that will blend better with the dramatic wall color. Your Chandelier should have shaded bulbs. Bare bulbs in a dining room when turned up bright enough to be useful make a harsh cold glare. Turned down low enough to not be glare y and harsh you are left with a red wire running through a useless bulb. If you have a server Two nice buffet lamps can help with the lighting. Finally if you do take my advice, when you have people for dinner don't spoil the atmosphere with a white table cloth. Use something that is close to the wall color. Good Luck Bill Gantt

So here is the best picture of my dining room that I can provide. You can see I have a little bump out. My furniture is a golden oak and the floor will be changing to a pretty dark wood. I know some people really don't like the 2 tone walls but I still need to be convinced that all red will work. If I did paint white below the chair rail can I do that without adding the wall boxes? Do I just use regular white paint? Thanks, I really appreciate the input.

I have an album in my idea book called Dining in Red. There are several photos that may help you in you decision. I would go with a darker red. Kachi brown red and white are always good together. Hope the pictures help.