Is this a thing everywhere? Why all the blue paint?  

As long as the pieces are free, paint them what ever color they like.  I still have to thank the previous owner who painted over a 1954 chest on chest tall dresser (highboy) by Paul Mccobb (Planner Group/Winchendon).  The paint job was so bad the poor dresser was left on the street for trash pick up.
I am OK with painted modern 20th century furniture, as long as they are by Piero Fornasetti on furniture by Gio Ponti or the Finn Juhl dining table Goodwill outlet sold to me for $1 that someone just had to paint over (it is the same one that is at the Philadelphia Museum of Art).