A capacitive light/dimmer switch which uses soft or fuzzy fabrics made with electronic textiles instead of, or as an extension of, metal or plastic plates. The soft fabric material, which may be in the form of a pompom, tassel, fur, or other electronic trim element, provides an attractive and compelling user interface that is soft to the touch. The user simply touches the pompom, as he would the dimmer plate, to cause the amount of light to increase or decrease. The electronic textiles of the light controller comprise electrodes integrated into their yarns or fibers, resulting in a conductive material (electronic textile) that may be used as the user interface. This conductive material is electrically connected to a sensing circuit by either AC coupling or DC contact. When the user touches the conductive material, the sensing circuit measures the change in load of the electrodes, and the lighting is changed.