A vehicle interior panel includes an elastically compressible layer between a substrate and a decorative skin layer. The compressible layer has a non-uniform thickness along which voids are formed within the thickness of the panel. A center console can be equipped with the panel in the form of a tambour door that opens to access a storage space in the console and closes to serve as a cushioned armrest. The compressible layer can be formed from a foam material molded directly onto the decorative layer and shaped as a series of projections that are attached to flexibly interconnected crossmembers of the substrate. Thin portions of the compressible layer between the projections facilitate reversible bending of the panel during movement along curved guides.